Future Sight
by Lanky Nathan
Summary: If Keitaro's immortal, does that mean he'll be alive thousands of years to come? So what might happen if he brings back thousands of years knowledge to the girls? Have a read and see what you think. WARNING - FIRST MULTI CHAP
1. Chapter 1

This is my second attempt at a multi chapter story. I will try to stick with this one all the way, no breaks. I hope you enjoy it and remember to always tell me if you spot something amiss. Let us begin :)

"one" - standard speech

"_two"_ - telepathic speech

'three' - thought

Disclaimer - I own nothing belonging to Love Hina. Please remember this.

**Future Sight**

A lone man stood looking out over a bizarre landscape. Before him, unknown mountains and valleys covered the earth. Off to the south east were a ridge of inconceivably high mountains, testament to the enormous meteor that carved half of the earth away all those thousands of years ago. Huge plants and trees covered the ground, turning it into a deep green sea of foliage. At the base of each mountain, the trees thinned to a dirt brown and then crystal white as they rose up into the cold. Strange animal calls echoed out across the land, none of them recognisable as birds or otherwise.

"Such beauty…"

The man sighed. Stretching, his polyfibre membrane shirt rippled, revealing the wiry muscles beneath. Turning, he began walking down the long metal corridor behind him. Just to look at him didn't say much. A young male, about twenty with short brown hair. He stood an unimpressive 5'7" tall. His body was slim and athletic, his clothing revealing long corded muscles. All in all he was a very average person. But if one was to look past his old fashioned glasses and at his deep brown eyes, they would see something all together. His eyes were bottomless. They seemed as old as the mountains that he had just been looking at, older even. They looked as if they had millions of years experience tucked away in them. But then, that was impossible.

"Yo wait up Keitaro!"

The man turned to see a tall youth running up to him. Smiling he stopped.

"Hey Yoko hows it goin'?"

Skidding to a stop just in front of Keitaro, the lanky boy bent at the knees, catching his breath. Looking up, still gasping, he tried to speak through his breaths. Though puffed, his deep green eyes shone in a self illuminated light through his dark blue hair. A late development in human hair colour. That colour along with greens, yellows and purples had begun appearing on new born babies reciently.

"It…happened! I…it really hap…happened!"

Keitaro played dumb. "What happened?"

Yoko, finally catching his breath, stood to his full height of 6 feet tall. Unusual for nowadays.

"Don't be stupid, you know what! I finally unlocked it!"

Keitaro let his charade drop and a massive smile graced his face. "So when did it happen?"

Laughing, Yoko rubbed the back of his head. "Well, just about 15 minutes ago now! And I did it to a chair too! I finally managed a re-shift!"

Laughing along with his close friend, Keitaro patted his back. "A chair now! That's a big reality shift for a first time! Who knows, you might become the best."

Yoko smiled and punched Keitaro firmly on the shoulder. "Bah, I highly doubt it. The general managed to re-shift an entire hover van for his first! I don't know anyone more powerful than him."

Keitaro grunted. He acknowledged the generals abilities but didn't really like him that much as a person. Too over bearing and loud for his tastes.

"So what did you change it into?"

Yoko blushed slightly. "Well, actually I changed it into a pink and white p…pol…no. What was that bear thing that had black and white patches on it?"

Keitaro smiled. "That's a panda."

Laughing, Yoko nodded. "That's it! I turned it into a pink and white panda. Heh, as soon as I saw it though, I lost focus and it snapped back to being a chair. But hey, not bad for a first timer ay?"

Keitaro nodded, happy for his friend. "Yep, you did well."

As they began walking, Yoko looked down at his shorter partner. "So, how exactly did humans find the 6th and 7th sense? I know that I was told all this but I wasn't listening in school."

Keitaro laughed. Right from the beginning of time, it seemed that the utter repulsion to school would forever exist. "Well, it was back about 100'000 years before impact. Scientists had just recently developed a new microscope, the plasma-scope you hear about from time to time. Anyway, this new machine had the ability to magnify images so greatly that they were able to see the nucleolus of the nucleolus of the nucleolus. Basically, that means that they were able to find another three types of atoms that built the atom that is most commonly known. That being the one with electrons and neutrons and protons."

Keitaro looked at the blank expression on Yoko's face.

"I'm sorry if its confusing but that's the best way I can describe it. School probably has a clearer definition is you had listened."

Yoko snorted. "Pfft, who does that."

Keitaro shrugged. "Anyway, when they looked at the human DNA, they found a second DNA strand based within the rungs of the first. Your clear with what I'm saying?"

Yoko nodded hesitantly.

"Ok, you know how DNA is like a giant ladder? Well, the rungs of that ladder each contained one of these mini DNA strands. When scientists experimented with these, the first people who volunteered to be tested on slowly found themselves in possession of telekinetic powers! That means able to move things with their minds. Soon they unlocked how to communicate through thinking, telepathy, and that was when it was announced to the world that the 6th sense was finally discovered."

Yoko nodded. "Right, I think I get it. And the 7th?"

Keitaro smiled. "How did you discover yours?"

Yoko thought for a second. "Uhh I remember being able to focus by combining the telekinetic and telepathic abilities. I saw in my minds eye the light and air as a solid. I then used my telekinetic thing to grab the air and light. I forced it around the chair and watched as the air and light reflected off the chair differently."

"Thus giving the impression that it was actually a panda sitting there, not a chair." Finished Keitaro.

"Oh. So that's how they found the 7th sense?"

Keitaro nodded. "Yep. Not too interesting, but back then that was how you determined how politically powerful you would be. All the best re-shifters were prime ministers and presidents of the country. It was a sad thousand years or so as it was like a virtual dictatorship. Nowadays, the best of us can actually cause whatever we want to see to actually become reality. We do this by grabbing floating bits of dust and stuff that's in the air. We then put it into the image we see and bingo you have a new pink and white panda."

Yoko pushed Keitaro hard. "Quit paying out my panda. So, what about the 8th sense? Why haven't we got that yet?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Who knows. I guess its just another mystery until a scientist or some random discovers it and becomes world famous.

Keitaro laughed. They began to walk along together down the long hall. As they disappeared around the bend, Yoko shouted gleefully one last time.

"Well, I did it! I finally unlocked the 7th sense!"

---------

Easing into his room, Keitaro took a glance around. Nothing was new. The same old metallic walls, the same hover pad used for sleeping, the same hydrogell bean bag and the same old photo sitting on the same old imitation wood desk. Walking up to the extremely faded shot, Keitaro took hold of it once again. In it stood eight happy people, one of them being himself. The others were all female. There was the kendo girl. Tall and strong. Then the small foreigner. Immature but incredibly intelligent. Then the young blue head. An incredible cook. The ever happy girl the same age as him. He smiled as he recalled her fainting spells. The houses' prankster. She really was a riot. His sister, Kanako. She was the only one of them who's name he remembered. And finally the love of his life.

She was everything he had ever wanted even though he could now remember nothing of her. Not even her name.

He sighed as he remembered back to when he really had just turned twenty. That day he took a bath and his girlfriend…or was it the samurai? Attacked him for being a pervert. He laughed quietly. They were good days. It was just such a pity that he had forgotten all their names years ago. Sighing, Keitaro dropped into the glowing blue bag in the corner. It faded slightly to a red and began vibrating, easing out the knots and bruises from the day.

"Keitaro-senpai, you seem tight today. What's wrong? Did Yoko over do training again?"

Keitaro sighed at the surprisingly accurate voice of a female emanating from the bag. "Consultant mode, off. Order, drink. Dark green fig. Four leaves and a tail."

The material hummed briefly before a hole opened up on the side of the chair revealing a tall black mug filled with an equally black liquid. Four strange finger like appendages poked up out of the drink, held together by a softly glowing orange band. Reaching down, Keitaro grabbed the drink. Taking a sip, he pulled a face at the initial flavour before the harmless effects of the drink took over his mind. The drugs always managed to calm his nerves to a point where he was no longer stressing about another alert. They were getting more and more frequent lately.

Grunting contentedly, Keitaro looked at the virtual clock in the middle of the room.

:12th of June. 200235 years since impact:

Frowning, Keitaro concentrated. The clock changed to a classical clock.

:12/6/5200235 - 12th of June, 5200235:

Smiling, Keitaro sunk back into the couch. He always had a thing for looking at a classic mid 2000's clock. His mind perked as he remembered something. Heh, only another fifty days till his birthday. Not that he cared. He had all but given up on remembering to celebrate. Birthdays become boring after a while. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off into a dreamless sleep.

----------

-ALERT-ALERT-ALERT-

A telepathic message suddenly beeped urgently in the recesses of his mind. Groaning, he shook himself awake and focused on opening it. Inside he found a large brightly flashing piece of virtual paper

"ATTENTION! WE HAVE ANOTHER SPIRATE ATTACK, EAST OF THE FORBIDDEN ZONE DOCKING BAY! ALL PESRONNEL ARE TO RESPOND! REPEAT, ALL PERSONNEL TO RESPOND!"

Instantly the slumbering drugs were replaced by adrenalin. Jumping up, he shouted out a command to the door as he ran through it. As he passed under it, a bright light shone out and Keitaro ran out, now wearing a body suit, complete with heart monitor, artificial perspiration and danger response. Though most people ran with many more monitors and weapons in their suits, Keitaro simply preferred the basics, mostly because he was one of the most highly trained fighters in the compound. Charging down the hall, he intercepted Yoko, sprinting along with the emerging teams.

"Hey, what are you doing? I thought you were only to clean up wisps?"

Yoko grinned widely. "Nope! Even though I only just learnt re-shift, I'm now apart of the squad! Something on the bottom of the letter saying we need even amateurs for this one. Haha pretty sexy suit though ay? So it's you and me now buddy!"

Keitaro frowned. Normally first timers were given a whole week to perfect their abilities. But now was not the time to concern himself with that. Rounding a bend, he hit the teleportation pad. Instantly the world around him faded to a multitude of soft whites, yellows and blues. Appearing out the other side, he pulled up quickly. Walking briskly over to his seat, he waited for the rest of the leaders. Within seconds, about ten people emerged from the pad, quickly taking their seats around the oval table. A huge holographic board stood in front of the table, tracking the spirates. Looking up expectantly, they waited until the massive form of the general appeared.

"RIGHTO LADIES, WE HAVE A SITUATION. IT SEEMS THAT THERE HAS BEEN AN OUTBREAK OF SPIRATES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE DOCK. YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS ALREADY."

Keitaro cringed. His boss was just way too loud for what he liked. No matter what was happening, the general was always at full volume.

"WHAT WE'RE GONA DO IS SEND OUT THREE SEPRATE TEAMS TO SUROUND THE AFFECTED AREA. KEITARO, UUJI, HATSUNE, YOU THREE ARE THE TEAM LEADERS. THE REST OF YOU, DIVIDE YOURSELF EVENLY AMOUNGST THEM AND GET TO THE WEAPONS ROOM. RETRIVE THE SOLDIERS AND GET OUT THERE TO KICK SOME PARANORMAL ASS. DISMISSED."

Standing, they all saluted the general before turning and running to the door behind him. Several of the others followed Keitaro, gearing up unlike their team leader. He waited a moment as they readied themselves. Turning, he ran through the nearest teleportation pad. Instantly he was standing above a massive room filled to bursting point with troops. Concentrating, Keitaro summoned the troops to attention.

"_Right people. You are being separated into three teams. Those of you who are now seeing the number one, take the door to your right. The rest of you who see the numbers two and three, wait until Uuji and Hatsune arrive. You will follow them as directed. Dismissed!" _

Instantly, one third of the soldiers turned and ran through the open door. Though they had seen it many times, the leaders under Keitaro's order still couldn't understand why such a young man had such incredible control over his metaphysical traits. The general was over twice this boys age but only just ahead of him in his abilities. Keitaro would have to be his successor. There was no doubt about it.

---------

Outside under the moonlight, three large groups dispersed into the quiet city. Keitaro's group circled around to flank the spirates from behind. Running quickly but silently, they made their way through the dark streets.

Running along, Keitaro noticed someone pull up along side him.

"Hey buddy! Hows it hangin'?"

Keitaro raised an eyebrow. "Yoko? I thought you were with Uuji's group."

Yoko smirked. "Was. I traded with some girl who has the hots for him."

Keitaro shook his head. "You'll get fired for that if your not careful."

"No chance. Not even you noticed the change until now. I'll be fine."

Truth be told, Keitaro sensed it long ago. In fact, right back when he was giving out the orders, he could feel everyone's different opinions about who they were going to go with. He also knew who was going to swap groups before they even got the chance. The only reason he kept the extent of what he could do a secret was so he didn't gain any followers and have them try and force him to overthrow the world, again. He had already learnt this from previous experiences. The human race was a sad thing.

Interrupting his thoughts, Yoko nudged him. "So, what are these spirate things? A few of us haven't been told what we are actually dealing with here."

Keitaro shook his head in disgust. Sending out rookies who didn't even know what it was they were fighting. How irresponsible.

"Ok. I'll tell you the bluntest way. You wont like it but you must know. Spirates are failed cloning experiments from the discovery period, about three million years ago. Back then, people were trying to grow vegetables, people with no mind, to do basic house work and other dirty jobs no one wanted. But due to their lack of knowledge on a few key chromosomes, they actually managed to develop these ghost like things. For a few million years they stayed as wisps, unable to do anything other than make sad attempts at scary faces. But that coupled with their ability to move through walls made them quite startling, causing me to miss a heart beat quite a few times. But the…"

Yoko frowned and interrupted. "Made you miss a heart beat? Heh, what are you? Three million years old?"

Keitaro grimaced. Shouldn't have said that. "Uh, where I was born, spirates were still wisps."

Yoko looked at him unconvinced. "Three million years after their creation? That's a little hard to swallow."

Keitaro shrugged like it was nothing. "Believe what you want. Anyway, no one actually knows how they managed to survive the meteor hit but they did. But as a result of that, for some reason it began a chain reaction in their DNA or whatever it is. They quickly evolved into these parasites that need humans to reproduce. What they do is enter into the body as wisps through the eyes, nose and mouth. Getting into the blood, they soon reach the base of the skull where the spinal cord meets the brain. There, they begin to divide the host. With each split, the unfortunate person loses half of his or her density and slowly becomes transparent. Finally after about five divisions, you are left with no less than thirty-two harmless wisps. They then go off and disappear for a few years before reappearing as fully fledged spirates. And during the whole process, the poor person is in excruciating pain. Their dividing screams become the call of the spirates."

Yoko's eyes widened. Looking at the ground, he fell silent for a few minutes. When he looked back at Keitaro, his eyes had new emotions in them. Mostly fear and pity.

"B-but what about the person? Can we save them if we catch it early?"

Keitaro shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately no. The only way to kill the spirate is in its early form, before it becomes a wisp, or while it is currently attacking a person. What we do it distract it so one of the leaders can create an air lock around it and its host. That's using the 7th sense to create a box made of air around it. From there, the box is shrunk down until it reached the point of infinity and disappears."

Keitaro sighed, obviously pained.

"The…the worst part of it is that when you crush the box down, the person…the person is condensed into a smaller version of themselves. A-and when you send the box to infinity, you can hear them screaming in pain. Not the dividing scream, a real human scream, one of immense pain. We have tried saving the human, oh most definitely we have tried. But as soon as we let them out, they revert back to wisps and drift away. Oh I can't count how many wisps we have let go due to a leaders first attempt at air locking a spirate. It happens every time. Every time a new leader sees that pleading face of the person they instantly let them go."

Yoko's eyes widened as he visualised this. "So what do we do? The soldiers and us in training?"

Keitaro lowered his head. "I'm not sure. I don't see it necessary to send out so many men as standard lightning guns and air pulse weapons just stun them temporally before getting them really pissed. I actually think its an unnecessary risk. I guess your just there to keep people calm when they hear the screams and to support the leader doing the extermination."

Yoko laughed humourlessly. "Maybe that's why we're there. To keep other spirates busy while their mate gets squished."

Keitaro smiled. "Ah well, you do something like that. Just make sure you stay behind me and don't inhale if a wisp hits you."

Yoko nodded. "Make sure you don't get evolved either." He smirked. "I'm not too sure how many people there are in compound that could take my constant presence if you died."

Keitaro just laughed.

--------

A/N - Well, thats the first chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. See ya in Ch2


	2. Chapter 2

Well, thank you for the reviews everyone, glad to see you like the idea!

For the people who questioned the little foreword in the last chapter, I put it up because I like to let people know about me. Sure, some of you may think I'm a miserable kill-joy, but if I find someone who puts something up like that, I just seem to think, hey, at least I'm not alone. That and I like to make clear that I despise evolution, but going with the story, it is necessary that it is actually a fact. I didn't mean to offend anyone and I sure as hell didn't mean it as a joke. But with that out of the road, I give you chapter two.

I own nothing.

**Chapter 2**

The group crawled up behind a building. A few of the soldiers began muttering nervously amongst themselves as they heard the shouting and gun firing around the corner. Though the other groups had engaged in the spirates already, Keitaro saw it wise to stay low as long as possible. The first reason being that it was a small ally the fight was taking place in, the second being he had the most beginners in his group and the third, he didn't really want any of the kids in training engaging in combat until they had been given their weeks study to refine their abilities. Holding a hand behind him, he motioned for them to crouch down.

"_Ok troops. What we're going to do is stay back here as long as possible. Its way too cramped in there as it is and adding us into the confusion will only serve to get people hurt. So we wait and see how they handle it. If needs be, I'll send in a few leaders to help out. The rest of us will stay back until its over to help with the wounded. Clear?"_

Keitaro heard a few "Sir, yes sir!" 's, along with a few unhappy grumblings on how they missed out. He expected as much but would rather have his troops alive and grouchy than dead and silent. Looking around the corner, he gasped silently.

It was absolute shambles down there. People were shouting, guns were blazing and spirates were sailing overhead crying out eerily. Clearly many of the ghosts had been hiding and had come out to ambush the group. Keitaro's eyes widened as he saw about five spirates dive into the group, focusing on the leaders. Concentrating, he combined his limitless Ki with his telekinetic abilities and magnified the image before him by dilating his pupils to enormous sizes, both eyes becoming pitch black. Looking on, he saw several of the leaders manage to fight away the attacks. But unfortunately, one of the leaders, the new girl he noticed, missed her attack and the spirate swooped in. She gasped and he vigorously projected the word NO! into her mind. But it was too late. The spirate had gotten in and it was now all over for her. She stumbled back a few steps wondering what just happened. Touching her face, she began laughing feebly, thinking she was alright. But then her eyes clouded over in pain.

The girl through her head back in an ear piercing scream as her body began to pull into two separate forms from the neck. As her body divided, so did her scream, one note going a pitch higher and the other a pitch lower. Quickly concentrating, Keitaro deafened his group to the pain filled screams. But not before they heard the first cry. A few of the older, more battle weary soldiers knew what was happening and tried to quieten the younger ones, telling them lies about it being a spirate being captured. Silently, they thanked Keitaro for cutting the screaming from everyone's ears.

The girl continued screaming, her pain filled yelling steadily breaking into more and more voices as the parasite did its worst. Turning, Keitaro looked at his second in command.

"I'm going in. There's nothing we can really do in there, its just too dangerous. You protect these guys. I'll send out as many soldiers as I can while helping Uuji and Hatsune kill these things. Remember, keep low and don't breath in if attacked. Please be careful Jill."

The young woman nodded. "Aye sir. I'll be keepin' a close one on these laddies. Go do your best."

Keitaro smiled. The Scottish woman never failed to make him feel better, even if it was only a little. Nodding once, he turned the corner, sprinting into battle.

Watching him run, she turned from the battle to address the troops behind her. "Ok youngins. Keitaro's decided it's a mite too dangerous for any of us now. So fall back and over to that shed over there. Hop to it!"

With some grumbling, the squad moved quickly over to the abandoned shed.

--------

Keitaro raced down the alleyway, giving himself a much needed boost of Ki to help him along. Sensing a rogue gun shot, he quickly dodged a falling chunk of building, grabbing a stunned soldier round the waist and pulling him out of the road. Tossing him safely away into a bin at the far end of the street, a good 50 meters away, Keitaro ploughed on. Here and there amongst the noise and bodies he saw one or two leaders trying to reorganise troops while firing off telekinetic blasts at any spirates that strayed too close. Nearing the infected girl, Keitaro skidded to a stop, throwing his hands out in front of him. Shouting loudly, he quickly formed a transparent cube around the girl. Without any time to think about what he was doing, he quickly slapped his palms together, the box and girl disappearing in an excruciatingly pained, but brief scream.

As he did this, he felt a spirate latch onto his chest, begging for admission into his mouth. He growled and held his breath.

'These dam things just don't learn! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!'

Flaring his Ki to levels not usually shown, he screamed and the sheer heat and power thrown out from him blew a three metre deep hole into the ground, along with incinerating the offending ghost latched onto his chest. Continuing on, Keitaro helped out along the way with odd shots at any spirate he saw. Finally reaching the middle of everything, he ran up beside Uuji and Hatsune. He nearly said something but was cut short as a spirate swooped out of the sky, screaming loudly. Quickly unloading a psychic round into it, Keitaro watched as it spiralled out of control and smashed into a wall, the extra energy passed into it briefly turning it solid. Turning from the interruption, he quickly linked minds with the other group leaders.

"_Ok, fill me in."_

Hatsune grimaced as she punched away a spirate with a fist wrapped in glowing blue energy.

"_We were coming in as ordered. We saw the person being divided and took usual actions. Then all of a sudden, about… UGG! …Damn ghost… about ten of them jumped through the roof over there and attacked! All the noobs instantly panicked and began firing off random rounds at the things. That unnerved even the most experienced of us into a … OOF… PISS OFF! … perfect concentration lapse. Those cursed ghosts took advantage of that and managed to get into at least five of us in the first attack. I managed to contain them and send them on to the next world though. All the leaders are still alive and are slowly regaining control. Soon enough though, we'll have 'em beat."_

Keitaro didn't say anything about the girl before. He just focused and popped a few more spirates as they passed.

"_Right. Hatsune, Uuji, I have sent my group into a shed down the back. There they are waiting for any extra soldiers we send up there. So get your troops out of there leaving only us and the most experienced of the leaders and soldiers behind to deal with this. Ok?"_

Uuji looked at him briefly before quickly turning to squash a spirate between his psych covered hands.

"_Please tell me you didn't send them to that big warehouse at the end of the alleyway."_

Keitaro looked at him questioningly. _"Yea…why's tha…" _Keitaro's eyes widened as it clicked._ "Oh please no…don't tell me that that was the roof they attacked from?"_

Both Uuji and Hatsune managed to look at him before being distracted again.

Both their voices filled his mind with urgency._ "GET THERE NOW! We can hold this lot for the moment. NOW GO HELP YOUR TROOPS!"_

Breaking contact with the two group leaders, Keitaro's eyes flashed a deep black as he lunged forwards. An explosion of purple energy was left in Keitaro's wake as he practically flew down the street, barrelling around comrades and disintegrating any spirates in his way. Hurtling along, he heard gun shots and frightened screams in the distance, getting louder with every second he drew closer to the shed. Careering into the doors, they exploded from the force pushing in on them. The instant Keitaro landed in the store his eyes widened in horror.

People were screaming as no less than twenty spirates circled overhead, every now and then diving into the group to latch onto a hapless host. Through the mess, Keitaro could see at least five or six of his soldiers being divided as he watched, his mouth going dry as their ear piercing cries rang through the closed room. Jumping forward, he ran into the group, blasting four spirates through the roof as they tried to make dives at his troops. Running along, he saw Jill unloading shot after shot of lightning into the creatures, earning her a pain filled scream for each successive hit. Running up to her, he punched away a spirate trying to blind side his second in command.

Fighting along side her, Keitaro had to shout over the noise. "JILL! WHAT HAPPENED?"

Not turning to look, Jill replied just as loud as Keitaro. "SIR! THANK THA GODS YE MADE IT! WE WERE HIDIN AS DIRECTED WHEN WE WERE SWAMPED BY THESE WEE BASTERDS. THEY THEN BEGAN SUCKING OUR TROOPS INTO MUSH. THERE'S AT LEAST ONE OF OUR MEN UP THERE NOW WITH THE SWIRLING GHOSTIES!"

Keitaro tried to respond but instead gasped as he saw a huge piece of roof falling towards him and Jill. Turning, he pushed her away with an incredible amount of force. The voluptuous woman cried out but instantly fell silent as she hit the far wall, slumping into an unconscious heap. But Keitaro had no time for guilt as the massive chunk of roof crashed down upon him. His legs instantly gave way under the massive weight and he folded backwards under the solid lump of reinforced plasteel. Unbeknown to him, Yoko had turned right at that moment to see his life long friend disappear under over two tons of material in a large spray of blood.

"KEITARO! NO!"

Running over to the broken roof, he grabbed the edge of it, trying vainly to lift the massive object. The spikes and sharp edges cut deep into his skin as he began sweating profusely. After what seemed like a life time, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. Tears pored from his eyes unabashedly as he cried for his best friend. Such was his grief that he didn't notice the roof begin to shift and shudder. The vibrations flowing through the roof quickly increased in power until, in a sudden explosion of dust and dirt, a fist appeared through the solid plasteel. It glowed in an ethereal purple as it began ripping away whopping chunks of surrounding material. That had been enough to grab Yoko's attention and he watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as the arm finally pulled enough of a hole away so that the body could stand up. The figures clothing had been completely shredded, tiny bits of rags barely covering his modesty. Looking up to his face, Yoko gasped at what he saw.

A massive gash traced its way across Keitaro's forehead, from ear to ear. If he had any ears. Both had been completely ripped away along with most of his nose. Blood dripped freely from the multiple gashes and grazes adorning his face. A bone poked through his shoulder where his collar bone had been completely pushed through the skin. Most of the skin on his legs and arms was gone revealing the powerful muscles that lay beneath. His chest had been completely ripped open, showing all his internals which were still working like none of them were even exposed. But it wasn't all this that shook Yoko to the bone. It was that it was all healing.

Skin darted its way over all the exposed muscles, covering them without a scar to show. The holes and gashes all sued up from the edges, leaving nothing of themselves but a long trail of blood from where they had leaked the precious liquid. All the bones began snapping and re-breaking themselves, causing Keitaro's body to flinch, twitch and shudder with the force. Soon everything pulled itself into place with a sickly plop, leaving a fully healed Keitaro standing there, glowing slightly in a deep purple aura. Looking down, Keitaro saw his friend. His face softened as he realised what his friend had just witnessed.

"Keitaro…w-what are you?"

The soft swirl of energy dimmed into nothingness as the background noise faded into a soft crashing.

"I'm sorry you saw that Yoko. It has been more years than I can remember that anyone has known of this. Please say nothing of it, I beg you. I only want to help people, not have them afraid of me."

Yoko turned his head slightly, still looking at Keitaro in suspicion. "Are you even human?"

A spirate screamed overhead and tried to attack Yoko. Instead, Keitaro dived forward and tackled Yoko, sending an explosion of black energy at it. The ball connected with its target and in a flash and a scream, the spirate floated to the ground in ashes.

Yoko looked on with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what he just saw. Turning to Keitaro, he gaped for a few seconds before finding his voice. "WHA-WHAT THE HELL? ARE YOU AN ALIEN OR SOMETHING?"

Picking his friend up under his arm, Keitaro dashed through the mess of people to hide behind a large fallen chunk of wall. Looking quickly over the rubble, he quickly accessed that he hadn't been seen. Turning back to his friend, he sighed as he saw him in the far corner, holding the wall in fear.

"Yoko…"

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

Keitaro flinched at the harsh words. This was one of the reasons he hated his gift so very much. Drawing back, Keitaro sat and hung his head.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm not an alien but I am not entirely human either it seems. I don't know what to say."

Seeing Keitaro's usual reaction to abuse, Yoko relaxed slightly. Surely his friend wouldn't hurt him.

"S…so, what was that back there? Why aren't you dead under two tons of roof?"

Keitaro shrugged. "I'm not sure. Every time I was found out, doctors and scientists from all over the world came and tested me, poked me and took an uncountable amount of blood from me. But no matter what they did with my blood, they never identified what gene or chromosome it was that gave me this unique ability. But they did find this. When I am injured, the bodies natural healing mechanism kicks in, but at over ten thousand percent more efficiently. No matter what injury I sustain, my internals are healed before my body can realise it's dead. So everything heals up at triple time speed."

Nodding slowly, Yoko slowly moved forward. "So, does it still hurt?"

Keitaro grimaced and looked away. "More than you can possibly imagine."

"Oh…so, does it prolong your life at all? Like, I've known you all my life and you haven't really changed at all."

Keitaro sighed. "I'm not sure how you'll take this, but yes, in a way, my life has had a few extra years added onto it."

Yoko fell silent for a second. "So, so how old are you exactly?"

Keitaro paused for a second. "E…exactly? Well...I…I am…"

Yoko leaned forward. "Well?…"

Keitaro looked up and Yoko shivered as he looked at those ageless eyes.

"I am Five million, Two hundred thousand, One hundred and Forty- Eight years old as of the 1st of August."

Yoko fell back, eyes wide. "Your shittin' me right?"

Keitaro dropped his head and shook it tiredly. "I am not lying. Apparently I am immortal and have yet to be proven otherwise. Living for such a long time…I have seen things come and go. My possessions…my life…my friends…the day you lie sleeping forever will come far too quickly for me. I wish I could die. I really do. I am just so tired…"

The two of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, or as silent as it could be with a battle raging just a few feet away. Hesitantly, Yoko moved up beside his old friend. Putting an uneasy arm over his shoulder, he closed his eyes and held him.

After a few moments, Yoko looked down at Keitaro. "Well, don't worry, I'll keep it secret."

Keitaro looked up and smiled thankfully. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Yoko smiled. It really was just him and Keitaro now. Looking up at the roof, Yoko spoke.

"Ok, well, that's ok. I'll take your secret with me to the grave. However short that is."

Keitaro and Yoko laughed for the first time in what seemed a long while.

Wiping his eyes, Yoko looked at Keitaro. "So, how did you fire that glowing ball out of your hand? That was pretty spectacular."

Keitaro grinned. "Right back when I actually was the age I look, I ran into a samurai of awesome skill. Her ability with the sword amazed me. But what really captivated me was her ability to manipulate her Ki."

Yoko looked at him questioningly.

Keitaro paused a second, thinking how best to explain it. "Well, it is the energy that flows through your body. Different people have different amounts of this energy in their body. That along with the dormant energy in you is what we call Ki. With enough training, a person can heighten their Ki levels. This also allows a person to tap into their dormant energy. When you can do that, you can push it into objects, such as a sword as my old friend did. I followed up on that when she died and have been practicing it ever since. So after many, many years of training, I am able to gather my energy into a ball of dark energy and throw it at things. I know I said the only way to kill a spirate was to catch in its early forms, but this is another way I know of. It would have been immeasurably helpful had everyone known of this, but the knowledge of Ki use has all but died out. What gets them is the heat along with the energy that makes it up. It overloads their bodies to a point where they burn from the inside out and turn to ashes. Clear?"

Yoko nodded in amazement. "You are full of surprises. I truly hope you can teach me some of what you know when we get out of this."

A loud scream instantly caused the two companions to duck their heads. Turning, they looked over the wall sheltering them. What they saw before them shocked them to the core.

At least 3/4th s of the squad had been or currently were being turned into spirates. The screaming ghosts were circling slowly around the roof, calling to the developing wisps below them. It seemed that a whole swarm of spirates were circling the roof, casually dropping to latch onto a terrified soldier.

Yoko turned to Keitaro to say something but say him shaking.

"You ok man?"

Keitaro lifted his head, his eyes ablaze in dark flames. Concentrating, he called out to his troops.

"_Everyone, retreat to the west side of the shed. There is a large piece of wall that has fallen and hides a good portion of the wall. Get there as fast as you can. And when you do, please hide and above all DO NOT LOOK at what is about to happen."_

Jumping up, Keitaro turned once more to Yoko. "Please try not to let them see what I can do."

Yoko nodded and watched as Keitaro ran into the remaining soldiers.

Seeing their team leader, the squad took a collective sigh of relief before turning to run to the shelter. More than a few of the girls took a fairly lingering look at the scantily clad body of the master fighter. Keitaro watched as they ran, picking off any spirates that tried attacking them. Seeing them all get behind the wall, Keitaro turned and looked skywards. His eyes blazed into life as a bright purple aura exploded into existence around him, his raggy clothing flapping from the wind. Raising his hands, he concentrated on burning as brightly as he could.

"Hotter…HOTTER…**HOTTER**!"

Instantly, Keitaro was enveloped in a blinding light, the heat thrown from his energy exploding outwards in a powerful shockwave that incinerated a huge number of the spirates. Their pain filled screams echoed through the building as they burned, ash raining down around the powerful human.

After about ten seconds, Keitaro lowered his arms, his aura flickering before vanishing in a soft flash. Looking over to the shelter, he saw that he accidentally melted the wall onto itself. Knowing that's its insulating properties were more than enough to save his friends, Keitaro ran over to find them. Pulling a hole in the cooling substance, he nearly said something when he was practically blown backwards from the screams that exploded from the sound proof chamber.

Regathering himself, he ran up to the hole and looked in. Tears of horror prickled at his eyes as he saw the remains of his group being attacked unrelentingly by spirates, entering the confined space through the wall.

"No…"

He looked around the pained faces of his troops as the smiling ghostly faces of the spirates circled around in front of his eyes.

"NO…"

Finally he laid eyes on Yoko. His friend sat there clawing at his hair in shear agony as his head began pulling into two separate forms. Raising his pained eyes, he saw Keitaro looking in on them in horror. Screaming in agony one last time, he managed to shout out one last thing before he lost his voice.

"KILL US! KILL US ALL BEFORE WE BECOME ONE OF THEM! PLEASE!"

Time seemed to slow down as Keitaro watched his friend pull himself into two misty clones, his screams never ceasing.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Seeing his friend in such pain pushed Keitaro closer and closer to the edge. Watching thousands of helpless people succumb to these unnatural freaks tested his limits to the maximum. Watching his best friend in years plead with him to kill him because of these things…

Keitaro snapped. Ever restraint he ever had to restrict his abilities was suddenly forgotten. The air around his head pulsated with telekinetic power, and people for miles around clapped their hands to their ears in agony as Keitaro let fourth his true telepathic power. Dropping his head into his hands, Keitaro began to claw and wrench at his hair in extraordinary emotional pain. Throwing his head back, Keitaro let forth a scream that filled the whole store house and drowned out the shouting emanating from the hole in front of him.

Slowly the two abilities of Keitaro's began to merge. Behind his eyes, Keitaro could see two long lines, one purple, the other grey, began to twist around each other. They began moulding their beings into one new telepathic/telekinetic mix that that swelled to fill his vision. Clenching every muscle in his body, Keitaro screamed as his new power exploded out of him, the shockwave rocketing across the face of the earth, touching everything, enveloping everything, slowing everything down. All across the globe, people began to slow down. Their breathing began to pause, their hearts missed vital beats. Soon, all life on earth was brought to a stand still. Keitaro's breathing began to slow as well. Finally, every sign that indicated that he was alive ceased to exist.

It was almost as if time had stopped.

-----

A/N - And that ends the fun for another few days. I really checked this so there shouldn't be any mistakes. If there are, Microsoft Word did it. (Shakes Fist)


	3. Chapter 3

Well, chapter three. Not much more I can say. Except this:

I own nothing.

-----

**Chapter 3**

'S-so…cold…'

Keitaro tried opening his eyes.

'Oh…so c-cold…'

Keitaro wilfully forced his eyes open. When his vision cleared, his sluggish brain registered something. It wasn't his eyes that had opened.

Looking around, his view turned a full Three hundred and Sixty degrees until he was facing the wall again. He also realised another thing. He was completely deaf.

'…T-the hell?'

Looking down, what Keitaro saw surprised him more than anything in a LONG time.

Below him sat himself. He had his head clutched in his hands, frozen in that position. Through the small hole in front of his body, Keitaro could see his team and the spirates all unmoving, riveted to their place.

'M-must get warm…'

Digging into his mind, Keitaro found a small portion of his Ki. Bringing it up, he felt heat begin to flow through his body. As this happened, he felt him slowly drifting down, merging with the still form of his body on the floor. His vision blacked out as he felt warmth slowly circulate through his body.

------

Strange echoes slowly brought Keitaro around. He noted that he was lying on concrete. His eyes flickered a few times. Reaching up, Keitaro made sure it actually was his eyes that flickered.

"What a weird dream…"

Dropping his hands out of vision, Keitaro sighed and relaxed. His body felt like it had been depleted of all its energy, leaving him tired and lethargic. Through the dullness of everything, he still noticed the weird echoes. After a while, the noise began to annoy him. Forcing himself into a sitting position, he looked around. Throughout the entire warehouse, the prolonged calls were bouncing off the walls. Keitaro could actually track their slow movement across the room, their calls fading until they hit the far wall and slowly bounced back. Moving his head again, he felt like he had weights on his head, or like he was underwater, he couldn't tell. When he finally was looking forward again, he saw the hole he had pulled open. Really exerting what was left of his energy, Keitaro stood up and moved slowly towards the hole. Looking in, he shivered.

Inside, all the people from his group were still in there. Along with the spirates. The thing was that none of them were moving. Reaching out, Keitaro tried to touch a spirate. As expected, his hand passed through it. Reaching out to touch the nearest soldier, his hand landed on the arm of a teenage girl. He flinched slightly. Even all these millions of years later, his survival instinct against the rage of his former inn mates still had yet to leave. Wane immensely, yes, but completely go, no. Looking from the girl, Keitaro saw Yoko. A tear slid down Keitaro's cheek as he touched his friend. Or, one of the two of him. His hand met a lot of resistance but it still managed to pass into Yoko's face. Growling, Keitaro pulled his hand back and clenched it into a fist, tears increasing. Looking up, Keitaro's eyes flashed slightly. Turning to the nearest spirate, he summoned the biggest ball of telekinetic energy he could muster. He tried to fire it at the disgusting abomination, but much to Keitaro's surprise, it instantly met with resistance.

"What the…"

Keitaro moved his arm to his head to feel for any bumps that could be inhibiting his ability. But as his hand moved out to the left, everything began to move slowly. Squeaking in surprise, Keitaro jumped back, letting go of his hold on his telekinetic energy. Instantly everything froze in place again.

Thanking his lucky stars no one was around…or alive to hear that, Keitaro noticed something about one of the soldiers. Wasn't he further divided than that? Turning to Yoko, Keitaro gasped. His friend was now whole again, clutching his head in stilled agony. Reaching out, Keitaro touched his head.

And his hand didn't pass through.

A faint flicker of hope began to burn within the immortal as he looked from person to person. Yes, everything had definitely moved backwards. People were now more whole again, some of the newest spirates into the room were now in the wall and the weird echoes outside the room had changed. Keitaro smiled as he realised something.

"C-can I…"

Quickly calming himself, Keitaro focused on another ball of telekinetic energy in his mind. Pushing it out slower, it again met resistance. Keitaro swallowed. Now for the moment of truth.

He raised his right arm.

His face instantly dropped into a look of horror as everyone began slowly moving forward. They slowly divided, their screams a deep baritone. Quickly dropping his arm, Keitaro shook his head.

"Clear thoughts Keitaro, clear thoughts."

Focusing on the resistance against his sense, he raised his left arm. And this time he smiled broadly.

Everything began going in reverse. People's heads began merging into one head again, spirates slowly vanished into the wall and the most unusual sounds actually sucked back into his soldiers mouths as their voices re-entered and undid in their voice boxes.

"Could…could this be the 8th sense?"

Keeping his left arm out, Keitaro turned and watched Yoko, his body slowly twisting in a reverse agony. He finally stopped and reverted to a look of surprise for a few seconds. He then exhaled and a spirate slowly backed out of his mouth and nose. Looking at that spirate, Keitaro instantly felt a hatred for it that he had never felt before. Dropping his left arm, he let go of his hold on time and walked in front of the ghost. Sticking his fingers into the eyes of the thing, Keitaro withdrew his fingers, leaving two little immature balls of Ki in them. Smiling, Keitaro raised his right hand.

The spirates smirking face slowly turned to one of extreme agony and surprise as its head began to ignite, little white flames swirling around its head. It then was engulfed in the fire before it exploded into ashes.

Keitaro looked at Yoko. His face had changed into one of amazement as he witnessed the attacking spirate die. As happy as it made Keitaro, when he looked round, he saw the rest of his troops being divided, every singly one of them in some state of transformation. Sighing, Keitaro thought the best way to fix this.

"Come on old mate. We have to work this somehow. I cant kill them all, it would just be to hard to constantly fast forward and reverse time…perhaps I can go back to this morning, or at least a few hours before this…"

Standing up straight with new resolve, Keitaro quickly focused. Feeling the resistance, he lifted his left arm high and everything began spinning backwards in a blur of reverse rushing. He slid along with how he would have moved, had he been running backwards like the rest of them. He saw for a second the fight in the ally before he saw Yoko appear at his side and then disappear back into the ranks. He watched as he slid backwards into the gear room and then into the main hall as one third of the soldiers ran backwards into the room. He then flashed back through the briefing room and through the teleportation pads, through the halls and then back into his room. He almost jumped as his eyes blacked out. He realised that was when he was asleep as the darkness quickly passed to be replaced by the room. He watched as he moved back to Yoko's room and watched as his friend walked out backwards and begin to inhale his words. Dropping his arm, Keitaro slowed everything down to a stop again.

"Not this far back…"

Raising his right arm, he moved through the halls quickly. Yoko's voice came out rapidly in a high squeak, getting a small laugh from Keitaro. Leaving his friend at his door, Keitaro let time go on a little more until he was alone in the halls. Dropping his arm, Keitaro then pondered his new predicament. How do you restart everything?

Dropping his head, he remembered everything he could about his years and years of experience in manipulating his 6th senses. And he came up with a big fat blank. Growling, he dropped his head into his hands.

"Think Keitaro, THINK!"

He tried to remember everything he had done, right up to when he passed out. Over and over he played the scenes through his mind. Thinking back to when he finally lost it, his memory flickered. He dropped into a meditative state, dragging every scrap of information out about that one small point in time. Images flashed through his mind, the bit where he burnt all the spirates, where he ripped the hole open in the wall, where Yoko screamed to kill them, when he lost it and he combined his abilities, when…THERE!

Instantly it flooded back to him. The merging of the two lines into one and it swelling to fill his vision. Sighing, Keitaro readied himself. At the time, he was so amped on adrenalin that he didn't feel anything other than rage. So it was possible that this could hurt.

Readying himself, Keitaro unleashed his two metaphysical abilities. The air around his head bulged as a ring of pure telekinetic power surrounded his head. His ears began ringing like mad as he focused on bringing up every ounce of his telepathic ability. His head began to throb, the force inside his head growing.

"I've got more…"

Focusing through the growing pain, Keitaro kept pulling at his abilities, urging them to fully expose themselves. The air around Keitaro's body began to swell and throw off shockwaves of powerful telekinetic energy, each blast hitting into the walls and denting them repeatedly. Inanimate objects around the hall began shaking and warping as both forms of energy played with the light, contorting the shapes of the plants and walls, actually making the hallway look like it was moving and breathing. Finally, Keitaro opened his eyes. Clenching his teeth against the massive headache, he finally saw what he wanted. Behind his eyes were the two strings of power, waving and swaying in a breeze of telepathic power. More shockwaves were thrown from Keitaro's clenched form, holes now appearing in the abused walls.

"N-now to combined t-them…"

Focusing solely on those two waving colours, everything faded from view. Gritting his teeth harder, Keitaro focused his Ki into his eyes and magnified the image so they now filled his vision.

Concentrating, he tried to force them into each other. As they began to wrap around each other, Keitaro managed a pain filled smile of triumph as they entwined. But then in an explosion of visually imagined sparks, they popped apart, standing tall on their own, both crackling with energy. Nearly losing his grip on everything, a pang of pain shot through his skull in protest. Clenching his fists in pain, Keitaro didn't notice the blood running down his hands.

"O-ok. T-try that again."

Bringing the strings back into view, Keitaro tried to push them together again. And again they exploded apart with another scream of pain shooting through his scull. Sweating violently, Keitaro really struggled to keep his hold on everything together.

"…Ok. I…I mu-must be…mis…missing something here…"

Bringing the two fading strings into view once more, Keitaro thought through the pain for a bit. An idea flickered in his droopy eyes. This time, he gently began to roll them, willing them to merge, not forcing them as before. He saw them begin to entwine as before and readied himself for another explosion. If they did burst apart, Keitaro knew it would throw him unconscious for hours. They began to spark a little and Keitaro clenched, but continued willing them onwards. They continued spiralling around each other, sparking and flickering till in a flash, they disappeared. Keitaro's eyes widened but were instantly filled with a look of wonder. A beautiful glowing gold string shone with its own light, waving gently, as if beckoning Keitaro to use its power. Surrendering to it, Keitaro felt its light envelop him, his eyes now seeing only the most brilliant gold, all his pain gone.

"So that's how you do it…don't force it, be gentle…"

From an onlookers perspective, Keitaro was beaming golden streams of sunlight through his eyes. Everything the light touched burst forth with an unusual life. Every detail in the lights touch was brought to the surface and accentuated, even the most inconspicuous hole in the floor standing out as if it was a hole into a completely new dimension.

Keitaro felt fuller than ever before. He felt like he could fly. He felt like he was invincible…aside from his immortality. Smiling broadly, he pulled the light into his chest as a little ball.

"Now to restart time."

He focused and pulled at different areas of the ball, causing it to spark and shiver. He didn't know how he knew to do this, he just did. Letting the ball grow slightly, Keitaro clenched for a split second before shouting and unleashing the ball inside him. It exploded out of him in a magnificent flash of white as it careered around the globe, smashing into everything and everyone, bringing them back to conscious with a heave of life. All around the world, people continued on with their life. To them, nothing had happened.

Still smiling, Keitaro dropped to the floor, exhausted.

"So that's how you do it…"

Keitaro's eyes then closed and he dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.

---------

Hope you enjoyed it. Chapter four isn't too far away.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for your wait. I give you chapter 4

I own nothing

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**Chapter 4**

-ALERT-ALERT-ALERT-

A telepathic message suddenly beeped urgently in the recesses of Keitaro's mind. Groaning, he shook himself awake and focused on opening it. Inside he found a large brightly flashing piece of virtual paper

"ATTENTION! WE HAVE ANOTHER SPIRATE ATTACK, EAST OF THE FORBIDDEN ZONE DOCKING BAY! ALL PESRONNEL ARE TO RESPOND! REPEAT, ALL PERSONNEL TO RESPOND!"

'OH CRAP!'

Jumping up from his bed, Keitaro instantly took off through the door. Not bothering to contact the door about his uniform, he ran through still in his civvies. Charging round the corner, he nearly collided with Yoko. Smiling, the tall boy looked down on him in excitement.

"Guess what! I'm apart of the team! Even though I only just learnt re-shift, I'm now apart of the squad! Something on the bottom of the letter saying we need even amateurs for this one. Haha pretty sexy suit though ay? So it's you and me now buddy!"

Frowning, Keitaro pulled his close friend to a stop.

"Yoko please listen to me. Gather as many people as you can and get back to your rooms."

Yoko raised an eyebrow. "You ok in there boy? For a second I thought I heard you ask me to disobey a direct order from the general."

Keitaro growled. "I just did! Please, do as I say! There is going to be an outbreak of spirates tonight and if we go out to this alert, we are all going to be divided! Please!"

Yoko took a step back uncertainly. "Uh, as much as I would love to disobey the general and receive punishment that puts hell to shame, I can't help you out there bud. I really gotta go and get briefed. See ya!"

Keitaro held out a defeated hand as he watched his friend run away. "But you won't be briefed on anything useful at all…"

Shaking his head, Keitaro frowned. 'I can still stop this. I must talk with the general.'

Turning, Keitaro sprinted down the hall, easily passing everyone running down alongside him.

-------

Exploding through the portal, Keitaro completely ignored the seats around the table and ran directly to the generals room. Pounding hard on the door, Keitaro called out.

"GENERAL! Please listen to me! Call off the run! Something terrible will happen if you don't!"

The door was pulled inwards with a force that splintered the wood. A gigantic figure filled the door. The almost 6'5" tall general stomped out, his bald head glinting red.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE URASHIMA? YOU KNOW THE PROCESS. YOU WAIT AT THE DESK FOR BREIFING LIKE A GOOD LITTLE LEADER AND THEN GO AND EXPUNGE PARANORMAL BOOTY FROM THE AREA. AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT OF UNIFORM?"

Keitaro flinched slightly from the enormous amount of noise blasted from the doorway. No time to be intimidated though. Standing to his full height, Keitaro looked the general straight in the eye.

"Please sir, I beg you! If you send the troops out tonight, every single one of the untrained will become a spirate!"

The general leaned down, nose to nose with the smaller man.

"On what basis do you say this? For years you have done as I have said without question and everything has gone swimmingly. What makes tonight so different? Huh?"

The dangerously low voice of the general caused Keitaro to flinch even more than his loud bellowing. Hiding his nervousness, Keitaro again looked the general in the eye.

"As I was sleeping, I saw us all fighting in a small ally way. Uh, we were then attacked by about twenty spirates from a building…a warehouse behind us. They proceed to attack and divide us until only myself, the other leaders and most experienced soldiers are left. That is why sir!"

The general stood up straight and chuckled. "So, your saying we should let thirty-two or so more spirates out just because you had a nightmare?"

Keitaro's eyes shifted slightly. It sounded hollow even to him.

"Sir. At least only send us leaders to handle this. What is one spirate? Not worth an entire army."

The general leaned in grinning evilly. "And yet, you say you get attacked by twenty or so spirates in your dream. Surely this is enough of a reason to send out an army?"

Keitaro faltered. "But if it was just a dream…"

"Then I shouldn't have to be listening to your pathetic ramblings about how you need a pillow and your thumb to sleep. DISMISSED."

Walking into Keitaro, the general stalked past the smaller man in a huff. Keitaro wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

'Why is it so hard to alter things?'

Turning, he ran into the room just as the general finished the briefing. Turning to look at Keitaro, the general growled.

"URASHIMA, YOU ARE A TEAM LEADER. BUT DON'T THINK YOU WON'T BE DEMOTED LATER FOR YOUR IGNORANCE. DISMISSED!"

Holding out a hand, Keitaro almost said something but stopped. Dropping the hand, he sighed. "Sir, yes sir."

------

Running through the teleportation pad, Keitaro appeared over a room full to bursting with soldiers. Looking over them all, Keitaro almost felt a tear slip out, remembering their anguished faces. Years of practice over took his emotions though and everything hardened up. Sappy emotions are for girls and when your alone. Not now. People needed to be saved. Concentrating, Keitaro summoned the troops to attention.

"_Right people. You are being separated into three teams. Those of you who are now seeing the number one, take the door to your right. The rest of you who see the numbers two and three, wait until Uuji and Hatsune arrive. You will follow them as directed. Dismissed!__"_

Instantly, one third of the soldiers turned and ran through the open door. But this time, Keitaro made sure to take as many inexperienced soldiers as he could afford. Watching them all run, he felt over the group. Exactly Fifty-Eight of them were going to swap teams. Concentrating, Keitaro quickly connected with those few.

"_If anyone is caught swapping teams, they will have their rations cut to half their normal allowance for one full month.__"_

Keitaro smiled to himself as he saw faces quickly screw up in annoyance. That should deter them from jumping. Turning his back on the group, Keitaro ran down the shoot behind him. He appeared in amongst the mess of soldiers running down the exit. With so many bodies trying to run down the hall, progress was almost impossible. Keitaro grimaced as another few bodies collided with him.

'Oh I really wish I didn't have to do this.'

Taking a few flying leaps over the amazed troops, Keitaro landed lightly in front of them all.

Keitaro quickly thought up a white lie to cover what he was about to say. As for his extraordinary jumps, he let them soak in their juices of thought.

"_Ok. The other two teams are going to hit the affected person from the front. Our job is to stay back and cover them. We are also called to disarm any spirates preparing to ambush the group. Understood?__"_

The groaning of unhappiness was louder than last time. All those newies were just too anxious to fight. Looking over his group one last time, Keitaro turned and began running out the door. He heard a pair of solid foot steps quickly close in on him. He knew it was Jill without having to look. Coming up along side him, the woman quietly voiced her concerns to her leader.

"Sir, what are ye doin'? This is slightly deviated from what tha big boss said."

Keitaro didn't look at her. "Trust me. Tonight, we all get tested on just how good we are at fighting these dam ghosts."

Jill looked at Keitaro queerly. "Sir? What be you talkin' 'bout? It's just a raid on one lone spirate. Nothin' worth gettin' excited over."

This time, he turned to face her. "Trust me on this. You are going to have to be on your very best aim tonight. There is going to be an attack and at the moment, only you and I know of this. I tried telling the general but he just brushed it aside as usual."

Jill looked at her boots thumping away at the ground. "Aye sir. But then, answer me this. Those jumps. How did ye manage that?"

Keitaro frowned. He wished he didn't have to do that display back there. "Well, its more a lost art that my family practiced. It just teaches you how to focus your…strength so you can do whatever it is your doing to your maximum potential."

Jill ah'd and fell silent. She then fell back into the group. Someone then pulled up beside Keitaro, replacing his second in command.

"Hey buddy! Hows it hangin'?"

Keitaro sighed. "Yea, could be better."

Yoko smirked. "What's wrong? Nightmares? That's what everyone's saying your having. Apparently, you even stood up to the general for something.."

Keitaro shook his head. "Rumours travel fast ay Yoko."

Yoko smiled. "Ah, that they do. So, what are these spirate things? A few of us haven't been told what we are actually dealing with here."

Keitaro growled silently. Even given a second chance, those pathetic briefers do nothing but sit and blow hot air. What a waste of space.

"Well, long story short, spirates are failed human clones."

Yoko's smile slowly slid off his face. Keitaro sure was acting weird tonight. "Uh, ok then. But wha…"

Keitaro interrupted Yoko with a wave of his hand. Pulling him as close as he could without them both falling over each others feet, Keitaro spoke softly.

"Remember what I said in the hallway back there? Well, its happening. If we follow orders we are all going to end up fighting for the spirates team. We are going to be ambushed tonight from the warehouse behind where the infected person is. So what I'm doing is sneaking up on those hellish ghosts and surprising them. For that, I'm going in with only myself and three of the leaders under me. I'm telling you this so you can keep the group stable with answers. And under no circumstances should you or anyone else follow me. I am asking you this as a friend. Please don't make me turn it into an order."

Yoko's eyes widened slightly. If Keitaro was actually going to turn a request into an order, things must really be tight. "Yer, no worries. _SIR._"

Yoko gave Keitaro a twisted smile as he disappeared back into the group. Shaking his head, Keitaro laughed gently to himself. 'That boy has serious lack of respect.'

-------

The group crawled up behind a building. A few of the soldiers began muttering nervously amongst themselves as they heard the shouting and gun firing around the corner. As like the first time, the other groups had engaged in the spirates already. Holding a hand behind him, he motioned for them to crouch down.

"_Ok troops. What we__'__re going to do is stay back here as long as possible. It__'__s way too cramped in there as it is and adding us into the confusion will only serve to get people hurt. So we wait and see how they handle it. If needs be, I__'__ll send in a few leaders to help out. The rest of us will stay back until its over to help with the wounded. Clear?__"_

More grumblings at missing out.

'At least there will be a next time for you guys this time 'round.' Keitaro thought.

Looking around the corner, everything was happening as it should. Guns, noise, chaos and screaming were rampant just like last time.

'Ok, either I change everything now or it's all as good as gone.'

Turning to face his little group, Keitaro actually talked with them instead of a telepathic message.

"Ok. It is really bad down there. So what I'm going to do is take three leaders, you know who you are now, and get into there and help. Please, don't follow me, anyone. I have a really bad feeling about this and I don't want to lose anyone. Understood?"

The soldiers looked at each other nervously. Normally, Keitaro just entered their minds with the directions of what he wanted done. For him to actually talk to them really meant something was up. And it couldn't be good. After a few seconds, a few quiet "Yes Sir's" reached Keitaro's ears. Smiling, he turned and disappeared into the shadows trailed by three leaders. Now alone, the group didn't really know what to do. They sat there as the noise and fighting reached their ears from around the corner. Some began drawing in the dirt to pass time. Eventually one of them piped up with a novel idea.

"How 'bout a game of 2 by 4 naughts and crosses?"

---------

Keitaro crept along, keeping close to the wall. Looking around the final corner, he shivered apprehensively.

The warehouse.

Turning to face his three leaders, he signalled them in closer.

"Ok. We are going into that warehouse over there. Inside I am expecting to find no less than Twenty spirates. Probably more like Fifty or even Sixty. Now, what I need done is for you three to stun as many as you possibly can. Jill, you go left. Kerry, Axel, you two go right. See anything that looks fainter than a rock, pump it full of energy. I want these things so charged that our hair stands on end. I'll follow behind and trap all spirates left immobile."

The two youngest of the four looked at each other quickly.

"Sir? I thought we were going in to help Hatsune and Uuji's groups?"

Keitaro faced Kerry. "Trust me, what we will do in there will help them more than if we just barrelled into that ally way, firing into the air. If you aren't up to it, you can go back if you wish."

Kerry's face dropped. Not what she wanted to hear. "Sir, if I took even one step back I would consider it a mission failed."

Keitaro grinned as the supportive words hit his ears. "Well, load them carriers. We're making ghost flambé this evening."

------

The old doors creaked as they were pushed from their resting place. The group flinched at every little noise made, even the smallest squeak sounding like human size rat having its tail stood on. Finally the door was wide enough for everyone to creep through. Crawling into the room, Keitaro quickly made it into the corner. Joined by his little group, Axel looked around.

"Sir…we are the only ones here."

Keitaro ignored the statement. He glared around the room trying to find anything that resembled a ghost. He saw nothing.

'No, no, NO! Where are all the spirates?'

Motioning for the three to stay, Keitaro got up and cautiously made his way into the middle of the room. Keitaro almost felt the unseen eyes bore holes into his body. They were most definitely not alone in here. Turning around slowly, Keitaro looked into the shadow of the corner. Slowly, he raised a finger over his lips. Seeing them nod, he sighed softly.

'How to get them to show themselves…they seem attracted to fear and hyperventilation…ok, try that then.'

Keitaro began taking deep breaths and tried to bring up every fear he had about being along in the dark.

The time of when he was banished into the meteor crater came to mind. The rock that had hit earth had been gigantic. At least half earths size. Thankfully, it only clipped the edge of the planet. But even then, the chunk taken out shrouded the earth in dust, turning it into a murky heaven of bandits and murders for almost ten years. When things calmed down, things in the hole had gotten eerie. New plants and animals evolved in there, due to all sorts of new types of minerals that lay thousands of kilometres down in the earth. Every tree was a deep green, almost to the point of black. The animals that dwelt in there had become accustom to minimal light. The towering cliffs that surrounded the impact sight cut out all but three hours of light to the forbidden zone. Many animals in there now were of humanoid resemblance. But after that, they were of their own kind. Most had no eyes and relied on echolocation to find pray. The bigger of the creatures in there were double the size of humans, equip with deadly close combat weapons, mostly comprising of razer sharp retractable claws and projectiles that could slice a tree in half. Many of the worlds armies copied these, resulting in catastrophic losses during any war. There was then a gap in animal sizes as the next biggest were no larger than a dog. But what they lacked in size, they made up in shear aggression. Every single one had poison so strong that if even a single drop entered the body, the victim would be dissolved from the inside out within a matter of minutes. Keitaro had the unfortunate pleasure to see this happen first hand. As expected, the area was strictly out of bounds. The only people ever to enter were Ascended Professors, the highest ranked military personnel and condemned criminals. For some reason, Keitaro had been accused of murdering over two thousand people during a massively botched enquiry into an entire islands destruction. But thanks to his inability to die, Keitaro had made it out of the forbidden zone completely unharmed. But during the time in there, he lost count of how many times he should have died from unimaginable wounds that completely covered his body, turning every single inch of skin to red. That along with the excruciatingly painful poison that cursed within his veins for months after meant that more than a few of his dreams still haunted him with these images.

Coming back from his less than pleasant memories, Keitaro found himself sweating heavily along with his breathing deep and irregular. Looking around, he made out forms swirling in the walls, a head or arm appearing every now and then.

'Their hungry tonight.'

Watching every single movement, Keitaro waited until he saw something in the corner of his eye. Whipping to face the incoming spirate, he fired a telekinetic blast at it. The scream that echoed out upon impact brought a smirk to Keitaro's mouth. But it was short lived as he heard a few gun shots crack out. Turning, he saw bloated spirates floating around, their bodies overloaded with energy. His three leaders were picking out any spirate that flew through the wall with perfect aim, not one making it any further than five feet from the wall. Slowly the room began to crackle as excess energy sparked between the spirates, the zaps causing them to scream in pain. A sadistic smile spread across Keitaro's mouth as he heard the cries.

'Music to my ears.'

He began to run forward, re-shifting up a massive box of air. Holes formed in its sides if a spirate got too close, the apparition being sucked in. It quickly began filling up as more and more spirates became captured. But the ghosts still poured in through the walls, their numbers hardly slowing. Looking over at his group, Keitaro saw Axel shrug his shoulders, ammo all gone. And from what he could make out, Jill and Kerry were almost out too. Concentrating, Keitaro connected with them.

"_A few shots before you run out of ammo, leave. Immobilise any spirates that try to follow you. I will take care of things here.__"_

He saw them look at him in confusion before quickly return to target practice.

"_Sir, what do you mean? You know you can__'__t do this on your own.__"_

Keitaro smiled at their concern.

"_Don__'__t worry. I have a new idea on how to kill them outside of capturing the human host. But the problem is if you get caught up in it, you will probably get injured. So please, return to the group. Get reloaded and come back. If I haven__'__t got it sorted by then, well, you__'__ll be ready to go again. Fair?__"_

He saw them look questioningly at each other. They couldn't deny his logic but then, they didn't want to miss this 'new idea'. After a few seconds, Keitaro saw them nod once in his direction before moving away. Thankfully, only two or three spirates saw them and were quickly disposed of. Watching them leave the room, Keitaro focused, closing and locking the door behind them. Turning to look back at the incoming spirates, he let his eyes flare a deep black as the sadistic smile spread across his face again.

'Now for the fun part. Lets see just how loud forty or so spirates can scream as one.'

Gathering up the last of the floating balloons, Keitaro raised his Ki. Channelling his energy, a crackling black aura engulfed his hands. Waiting a few seconds for the charge to complete, Keitaro grinned and fired it off into his air box.

Instantly the box lit up in a black light, multitudes of agonised screams exploding out. Shielding his eyes against the anti-light, Keitaro saw, quite to his satisfaction, that all the spirates began to pop, their charred remains falling to land softly on the bottom of his cube. Eventually, the sparking black energy began to subside, leaving just a slightly warped space of air with a whole lot of ash sitting near the base of it. Smiling happily, Keitaro released the box from his hold. Now with no power source, the transparent cube vanished, the smoky remains of the spirates drifting lazily towards the floor. At that moment, the doors burst open revealing Kerry, Axel and Jill, all armed to the teeth with all sorts of new weapons. Quickly surveying the area, they saw that the spirate threat was gone. In the middle of the room stood Keitaro, looking quite content with himself as the last of a grey dust drifted to his feet. He smiled as they looked at him questioningly.

Jill began walking towards Keitaro, wanting to make sure he hadn't been attacked.

"Sir, what happened to all the spirates?"

Keitaro just smiled.

"I beat 'em."

Jill raised an eyebrow. Nearly asking a question, she slowly closed her mouth. Why bother. It's not like she ever got a straight answer out of the unusual boy standing in front of her anyway. Dropping her gun to have it hang lazily at her side, she sighed and turned. Walking towards the door, she passed two surprised leaders. She gave them a gentle shove to bring them round.

"Come now laddies. Time to call it a night."

----------

Well, that's chapter 4. I am trying not to rush things too much, so it should be an easy read...at least, I'm trying. Did finish this about 11 last night though so there may be one or two errors I missed. Please forgive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is now here. I've been sick so the chapter feels a bit less substantial but I hope you like it anyway.

I own nothing.

**Chapter 5**

Walking home, Keitaro eyed over his group. Everyone was doing well. No one had been lost from his group. The other two teams had, unfortunately, lost five people each, as well as one leader. A new leader at that. A young girl.

Though the spirates had been forced into retreat again, it still didn't really help lighten the mood. It was never good when team mates were lost in a raid. Uuji and Hatsune were taking it as usual. They were hardened to everything for the time being. Though neither ever showed any emotions, Keitaro knew that when they got back to their rooms they would fall apart for about an hour or so. The only reason Keitaro knew this was that was what happened to him after every raid.

Coming back from his thoughts, Keitaro began to hear the idle conversation happening around him. Most were on topics meaning nothing like the coming night or their next day off. Though it had no meaning, at least Keitaro knew that his team was relaxed. Putting his hands in his pockets, Keitaro heard Yoko sneaking up behind him.

"Hey Yoko."

He heard a disappointed grunt.

"Dam. How do you always know it's me?"

Keitaro grinned. "Just say it's a 6th sense."

Yoko rolled his eyes. "Yea, right."

Moving up close next to his shorter friend, Yoko sighed and looked up casually at the sky. Keitaro looked up at him and smiled. He wanted something. It was a little tell he picked up from when he lived back at the all girls dorm. That girl with the short hair always did something like this when she wanted something. Her name had a relation to an animal…like wolf or…or coyote. Keitaro shook his head. The name still eluded him.

"Well, it was a mission succeeded I guess."

Keitaro shrugged his shoulders. "You think? I know we stopped all spirates but we did lose ten comrades. Is that really a success?"

Yoko took a side long glance at Keitaro. "I duno, you've been doing this longer than me. We did succeed, but then, we had losses. Casualties of war?"

Keitaro sighed. "You are very emotionless." Yoko snorted. "But then, that's a good thing too. If you were like me and felt miserable over every person lost, you wouldn't be doing this hey."

Yoko raised his eyebrows. "Say what? If what you say is true, then why are you working here? Why aren't you off somewhere doing a quiet desk job where the closest to death you get is boredom?"

Keitaro sighed tiredly. "Because this is the only job I can do. Everything else won't take me because I'm too restless."

"Ah. Ok then."

Keitaro lowered his head. Now that the idle chat was over, the real question would come out.

"Hey Keitaro, can I ask you something?"

Bingo.

"Back when we were all running through the main hall and out to the city, you did something. You went and jumped like, ten feet in the air. How did you do that?"

Shaking his head, Keitaro pondered if he should tell his friend again. When he told him last time, he felt the load that he had been carrying for years and years lift. But then, Yoko could become a target, should his immortality ever be found out.

"Well?"

Coming too, Keitaro looked up at Yoko. "I guess I could tell you. But I want you to sware, you tell no one nothing."

Yoko's eyes widened. "Ok bud. Don't worry, not a word will leave my mouth ever."

Looking around, Keitaro pulled Yoko to the side, away from prying eyes.

"Ok Yoko. First, I must tell you about something. There is energy inside us. You know that. Nerve impulses, muscle contractions, brain signals, all those types of things. What you don't know is that there is also a dormant energy. Inside every human is a dormant energy that mostly sits unused for the persons entire life. This energy is called 'Ki'. What I have learnt to do is to tap into this. It allows me to exert a whole lot more force than what a normal person does. Say you use it. Your muscles work at one hundred percent. With Ki boosting your abilities, your muscles can work at two hundred, three hundred, five hundred percent."

Yoko shook his bewildered head. "So your saying those jumps were of super human strength? And that even I could learn to do that?"

Keitaro nodded. "Yea something like that. The knowledge of Ki has been lost for many thousands of years. Maybe millions, I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm probably the last person alive that knows about it. Except librarians but they would think it's just a myth."

Yoko looked at him oddly. "That long? Well then, how come you know about how to use it? And judging from those displays back in the hall, you know how to use it pretty good."

Keitaro shook his head. "Lets just say I have had a LONG time to work on perfecting it."

Yoko leaned down closer to his friend. "So, what else can you do?"

Keitaro thought for a second. He decided against telling him about the 8th sense just yet.

"Well, you can manipulate Ki. Move it around your body, even separate it from your body and throw it as a projectile."

Yoko grinned wildly. "Come on then! Show me the magic!"

Keitaro laughed. "Ok, ok, hold up."

Looking quickly over his shoulder, Keitaro quickly saw that no one was watching. Looking back in front of him, he brought his right hand up in front of his body. Concentrating, his hand began flickering as little black flames of energy licked his hand before springing to life as a black aura. Yoko looked on in amazement. Reaching out, Yoko yelped softly a little black electrical spark jumped out and snagged his finger. Holding his stung hand against his chest, he looked at Keitaro in astonishment as the young master moved his hand around, letting the small flames play across his fingers. Dropping his hand, the little flames shrunk until they faded into nothingness.

"And there you have it. Ki control at it's best."

Yoko just continued to look at Keitaro in awe. "That is crazy man. I mean…wow."

Keitaro grinned and shrugged modestly. "Aw, its not that great. Anyone can learn it if they train long enough."

Yoko grinned. "Dude, I am ordering you to teach me that."

Keitaro took the out stretched hand. "Deal. But remember, tell no one, show no one."

Yoko nodded happily. "Deal."

Turning back, they began walking up the last hill before home. Nearing the top, Keitaro felt something. Or more, an absence of something. Frowning, he jogged up to the peak. Looking down, he looked across the area. His instincts told him something was wrong but he couldn't see anything. Concentrating, he tried to pinpoint what was amiss. At that moment, Yoko appeared at his side. Seeing Keitaro's worried face, he looked down over the base hurriedly. Seeing nothing, he looked back at Keitaro.

"Hey…what's wrong? I can't see anything out."

Keitaro's frown deepened. "Not everything is what it seems. Something is missing. The whole building feels devoid of people. Normally I can feel them walking around inside. But now, there's nothing. I mean, even the groups that went in just before seem to be gone. Look around. We are pretty much the only ones left out here."

Yoko's eyes lit up in wonder. "You can even sense people? Man, you really are something else."

Keitaro shook his head. "Not now. Something is very wrong. Come on, we have to get down there. Hold onto me."

"Say what?"

Not waiting for any response, Keitaro grabbed Yoko and held onto him as he jumped off the peak, hopping down the side of the tall hill with ease.

--------

Keitaro landed with a heavy thud, dust clouding around his boots. Dropping Yoko beside him, he looked around.

"Ok. We must be careful Yoko. I don't know what has happened here…Yoko?"

Facing him, Keitaro sweat dropped. Yoko had his hands clasped together and was giving Keitaro the biggest starry eyed smile possible.

"Yoko?"

"That…was…possibly…the COOLEST THING EVER!"

Slapping his hands over Yoko's mouth, Keitaro gave him a glare.

"Shut it! Make too much noise and…well, I'm not sure what will happen but it'd probably be bad. So shh."

Still big eyed, Yoko nodded. Sighing, Keitaro let him go and began moving towards the base. His boots crunching in the dirt was abnormally loud, the soft breeze carrying it across the strangely empty space between him and the entrance. Reaching the wall, he flattened himself against it. Yoko bumped into it softly beside him. Looking around the corner, Keitaro saw the hall clear of anything. Second checking everything, Keitaro moved into the hall, keeping close to the wall. Making sure Yoko followed, they made their way down the long corridor. After five minutes of walking, they made it to the assembly room. Keitaro looked in. A movement caught his eye up in the corner of the room. Before he could get a proper look, it had already disappeared.

"Weird…"

Yoko leaned forward. "What?"

Keitaro shook his head. "I thought I saw a face up there…Oh well. Lets go."

Creeping out, they continued.

-------

"Nope. This one's empty too. Dam."

Yoko closed yet another door. Looking over at Keitaro, he saw him shake his head. Another empty one. When they had reached the sleeping quarters, they checked through ever one of the boys rooms but found no one. Coming over to the girls, they only checked a few as Keitaro had a hunch that they would be just as vacant. Walking over, Yoko sighed.

"So what now big guy? Looks like we missed the party."

Keitaro frowned. He wasn't sure what could have happened. No one was allowed to leave after a raid. Standard procedure. Come back and relax, get the images out of your head. But even then, that wouldn't vouch for the entire place being deserted. The only other thing that Keitaro could think of was as scary and far-fetched as possible. A spirate attack on the base. But even if there was a spirate attack against the base, that would have been taken care of easily. The only way the spirates could have even had a glimmer of a chance was if they came in an army so far unheard of. But, they weren't smart enough to raise such a force. At least, that's what every source indicated. Looking back at Yoko, Keitaro shrugged unhappily.

"I have no idea what could have happened. I guess we should just go de-g…Yoko, do not move."

Yoko froze in place as trained. Looking at Keitaro questioningly, he saw Keitaro looking over his shoulder at something on the roof. Turning his head as slowly as possible, Yoko tried to see what was wrong. Unfortunately, his neck would only twist so far.

"Keitaro…what is it?"

Keitaro raised a finger to his lips. "Move very slowly towards me. No sudden movements."

Still unsure about what was happening, Yoko began moving forward. He took a painstakingly long time as ordered. Sometimes, situations like this either meant you live or die.

"Good, good. Now, get behind me and then move into the room beside me. I'll follow."

Yoko nodded slowly. Then his face began to change.

"Yoko? Yoko what's wrong?"

'Ah crap.'

Yoko's face began twisting and contorting, looking like it was trying to be sucked into his nose.

"Yoko!"

"AHHH-CHOOOO!!"

Keitaro dived forward and tackled his friend into the ground. Yoko looked over his shoulder in surprise as a rather big spirate flew through the exact place he had been standing. The next moment he found himself on his feet with Keitaro already a few steps ahead of him.

"RUN!"

Instantly Yoko took off after his friend. Looking around, he saw hundreds of faces start appearing in the walls, all looking happily down at the two humans running down the hall. Concentrating on running, Yoko thought crazily, 'This can't be happening! Spirates aren't smart enough to attack like this! Not all at once!'

Motoring around the last corner, Keitaro saw to his dismay that the hall connecting them and the assembly area was packed full of waiting spirates.

'Aww there's no way they are that smart.'

Yoko bumped into his back and looked down the hall. His eyes widened as he saw all the smiling pale faces.

"What the hell?"

Keitaro nodded. Pretty much summed it all up in three simple words.

Looking through them, Keitaro grimaced. "Ok, on three, we run. Dodge any spirates that try to latch onto you. When one does, hold your breath. When we make it to the assembly area, I can clean us off there. Ok?"

Yoko shook his head.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Keitaro took off down the hall. Spirates began bombarding him, all intent on dividing this promising young man. Yoko watched in amazement as Keitaro leapt gracefully around all the attacking ghosts, rolling under one to launch himself off the floor, over another two and then to spring off the wall and back to running.

Yoko shook his head in disbelief. "How am I meant to do that?"

Tearing slightly, Yoko just took a big gulp of air and ran into the hall as fast as he could manage. All around he could feel the soft bumps of spirates hitting him, desperately trying to get into his body. Tears leaked from his eyes as he saw the door way getting closer.

'Please don't die please don't die please don't die!'

Bursting through, he saw Keitaro with his hands alight in that dark aura again, running up to him. Lashing out, Keitaro quickly cleaned off Yoko, spirates falling off him in screaming black puffs. Yoko looked around him at the ash that remained of the spirates. Looking back up at Keitaro, he gave him a look.

"How did you do that? From what I know, the only way to kill a spirates is with re-shifting them and their host."

Keitaro just shrugged. "Ki works on them too. But anyway, we're clean so lets go."

Turning, Keitaro began running across the open space. Yoko shook his head and took off after him. They back tracked all the way through the hall and out into the open space in front of the base. Finally reaching the bottom of the hill on the borders, Keitaro stopped, not showing any sign he had just run nearly a kilometre. Yoko pulled up beside him panting heavily. He looked up at Keitaro and sighed. The sooner he learnt this Ki control or whatever, the sooner he will stop getting his butt busted by running after this guy.

The whole time Yoko recovered, Keitaro looked around, ears and eyes searching for any sign that a spirate had followed them. Even when he was sure none were there, he still watched the shadows like a hawk. Yoko stretched up beside him, still breathing heavily, but more or less recovered. Looking up at him Keitaro frowned.

"We need to get back to the Forbidden Dock. Something tells me that's our next stop."

Yoko groaned. "Noooo…that's so far!"

Keitaro rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Keitaro then grabbed Yoko bridal style.

"The hell…"

Before he could say any more, Keitaro became engulfed in a dark aura. Yoko's eyes widened when he saw Keitaro's. His pupils had vanished, replaced with a bottomless black. Crouching, Keitaro jumped, sending himself and his passenger soaring up the side of the mountain. Landing lightly at the top, Keitaro dropped Yoko.

Looking out across the small city, Keitaro could do nothing but stare. Thousands of pain filled screams reached his ears as his enhanced vision picked up people clawing at their heads in pain. Their pain eventually cause Keitaro to look away, wiping his eyes clean of tears only to have them fill again. Yoko couldn't hear or see anything, dew to everything being so far away. Looking at the tortured face of Keitaro, though, was clear enough evidence that there was a whole lot of something happening down there. Putting a gently hand on his shoulder, Yoko looked down at the glowing city.

"You sure there isn't anything you can do now? What about the Ki thing?"

Keitaro shook his head miserably. "No. I couldn't tackle that many spirates all in one go. It's just too much."

Yoko looked away from the supposed chaos. "Well, where can we go then?"

Keitaro sat down and put his head in his arms.

"I don't know."

Yoko looked down at the depressed form of his friend. A small gray thing seemed to settle into his clothes. It looked almost identical to a wisp but...nah, must be the mist. It was getting cold and Keitaro would have reacted to it if it was a wisp anyway. Sitting down beside Keitaro, Yoko looked out over his old home, now filled with spirates and wisps.

He sighed. "What will we do?"

-------

A/N - And that ends yet another chapter. Ahh being sick is sooooo gay.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, another chapter. Read it.

I own nothing.

**Chapter 6**

Sitting there, Keitaro lost track of time. He watched the moon cross the sky, brain registering nothing. All he could think about was what had happened just a few hours earlier.

'How could this happen. We have always been so thorough when it came to disposing of these creatures. Where could they have gotten such numbers…or brains for that matter? -sigh-… I'm surprised we haven't been attacked as we sit here now. Not that I really care any more. I think I stopped caring a while ago. Just to go. Be gone. Like everyone. Gone. Just like that. Just like all the other times. I just don't understand. Even all these millions of years later, I don't understand. I wish…I wish it was back in the old days when everything was simple. No spirates, no underground organisations, no forbidden zones, just normal people going about their normal lives normally. What I would give to be normal. Huh. Not like I will ever know. I cut myself and I don't even have the time to see myself bleed before I heal up. That and this constant headache. You think being immortal would mean I wouldn't get headaches. But no. Just another horrible taste of too long a life. My mind just throbs. It has too much information. No one should know the things I know. Or live to remember the things I've seen. Why was I cursed like this? Why must my future be so bleak? No. I have no future. Future includes death. An end. A time to look forward to. Something you know will happen. But what do I have? Friends that die before I can get to know them properly. Science experiments conducted upon me dew to this curse. Science. What is the real meaning of the word? To discover something new that will benefit the human race or the creatures that inhabit the world along with us? Or to push experiments to the very limit of their sanity and strength, just to see what happened? How could humans ever cause that much pain on another human I'll never know. Those tubes were far to big for what they needed from me. Though, as sick as it is, their death screams were refreshing to my ears as they burned around me. Ha, probably the only one time after living with those girls from all that time ago that I was actually grateful I could heal. Let's see them survive flames that hot. Running around in circles as their molten skin dripped off them. Those pricks almost deserved to die the way they did. I'm just thankful that it wasn't me that killed them. I don't think I could handle living with murder. I sware, if I did, I would be even more insane than I am right now.'

-----

Yoko watched his depressed friend with concern. He had never seen Keitaro so completely without hope. Yoko had looked at Keitaro briefly in the eyes to see if he was still there. But when he saw those ageless brown eyes glazed over like that, he had quickly averted his gaze. They were so full of emotions unknown that they sent a chilling shiver down his spine. And with nothing else to do, he sat and waited, well aware of just how alone they were.

Thirty minutes later, Yoko had taken to drawing in the dirt with a twig. Not the most mentally stimulating sport, but it was better than nothing. His multiple character drawing was…original.

"Man I suck."

Wiping a hand over the lines, Yoko erased it. Resting back, he began closing his eyes. A shuffle behind him quickly opened them again. Turning to try and see whatever it was, he gave Keitaro a nudge.

"Hey boy, wake up. Someone's here."

Blinking a few times, Keitaro came back and looked up at Yoko.

"What was that?"

Yoko held a hand out.

"Shh. I heard something move in the bushes just now. Probably an animal as there aren't any…people around."

Keitaro nodded and looked into the bush. Suddenly, he felt a familiar twig in the back of his head. Gasping, he ran into the bush and dragged out a bleeding Jill. Yoko looked on in surprise as Keitaro took the young ladies head in his lap. She was slightly delirious as far as Yoko could tell, arms held out in front of her, swatting away invisible insects. Keitaro sushed her as he stroked her hair.

"Shh, shh Jill your ok now. It's me, Keitaro and Yoko."

Jill's eyes flickered briefly as the voice triggered recollection. After looking up at Keitaro for a few seconds, she relaxed. Her eyes began to tear up and without warning, the woman latched onto Keitaro with a cry. Keitaro was surprised, never seeing his second in command ever displaying this amount of emotion. He stiffly patted her back as she sobbed her fears out. Yoko looked on with interest and a little bit of jealousy. After a few minutes, Jill quietened down before regathering herself. Sitting back on her knees, she gave Keitaro a sheepish smile.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that sir. It's just all that's happened…sent me bonkers for a bit."

She took a few deep breaths and wiped away the small amount of smeared mascara around her eyes. Looking back at Keitaro, she smiled weakly again.

Keitaro gave her his trademark caring grin. "It's ok. Trust me, if I had been where you had just been, I'd say I'd be curled up in a corner rocking on my haunches."

He wasn't lying.

"Well Jill, if your feeling ok, can you tell me what happened?"

Jill's face fell as soon as the words left his mouth.

"It's ok if you don't wanna tell me now…"

Jill shook her head. "No, I need 'ta get this one out now sir. We were all goin' back towards base as normal. The usual was goin' on. People havin' a laugh, the odd friendly tussle here 'n' there. When we had entered, a weird voice came on the intercom tellin' us to get to our quarters. Most soldiers complied. Myself and a few of the older soldiers thought it was a lil' suspicious. My reasons were that normally such messages were given' through telepathic messages and that was the first time I had ever heard the speakers used. That and the voice almost sounded…hungry. Anyway, I went to see the general. When I got there, I knocked and he didn't answer. You know how odd that is. Anyway, I knocked again to naught. So I opened the door and looked in. Blow me down if I didn't see the biggest spirate I had ever laid eyes upon! It then disappeared into the general without a fight! It was almost like he had been petrified into paralysis! Anyway, I turned and ran. Just as I stepped into the halls didn't I hear the most horrible screams echo from around me! Hundreds of people burst from the quarters and began charging in my direction. I just ran because had I stayed, I'd have been trampled. But just before I turned, I saw in their eyes a horrible fear. My guess at the time was that the spirates had come. Turned out I was right. -sniff- Hundreds of the basterds, 'scuse my language, flew in through the roof and began pickin' us off one at a time. It was horrible sir! By the time we reached the exit our numbers had halved. The rest of the group were only newbies, all the leaders being picked off first. I duno how sir, but these things just had a very organised attack and it scares me. Anyway, running away, I tried to get the youngin's ahead of me while avoiding so many spirates. Not watchin' where I was, my foot caught in a rut. That sent me down and I smacked my head a cracker sir. When I came too, there was no one around. No spirates, no people, nothing. I can't even guess why I was left. Anyway, I began to climb the mountain but I'd say I was still concussed from the fall and kept trippin' over. Eventually I began seein' wisps everywhere until you dragged me out of the bush sir. And that's where it leaves me."

During the whole explanation, tears had been sliding down Jill's cheeks. Light grey marks streaked her face, giving her a completely helpless look. Unable to leave someone like that, Keitaro moved up beside her and put a hesitant arm around her.

"L-look. I won't let any more spirates get to us. Ok? We're safe, for the moment. Now to just find somewhere that is safe. Come on Yoko. Help me here."

Nodding, the younger of the two looped an arm around Jill's waist and pulled her to her feet. Keitaro stood up and got under Jill's other arm. She managed to walk relatively straight, but the occasional stumbles near the edge of a large drop off stopped the two men form letting her walk alone.

-----------------

A solid push send an old door swinging stiffly open, it's protesting squeals echoing out. Keitaro walked in, giving the area a good visual sweep. Once satisfied they were alone, he called out.

"It's ok. Nothing's in here."

Through the door came Jill and Yoko along with about ten other soldiers. Most were ok, only having small cuts and bruises. One of them had a badly twisted ankle from a fall. The young girl had a brave face on but anyone could see she was in pain. A few of the older one's stayed with her, bandaging her ankle with torn strips of cloth from their sleeves. Some of the younger ones tried to put in their ideas on how to bandage it but were quickly told to be quiet and sit down.

Keitaro looked over the group. The only experienced ones here were himself, Jill and three others, all of them tending to the injured girl. Moving over beside Jill, Keitaro sighed.

"What will we do. We have ten out of over a thousand troops left, most of them inexperienced. We are hiding in an abandoned warehouse surrounded by who knows how many spirates. Is it all futile?"

Jill leaned forward and looked into her superiors eyes. "Sir. I duna know how you could say that so please snap out o' it. We have ten people, ten lives that are worth fightin' for here. Even if it was only one person, that would be worth fightin' for, no?"

Keitaro nodded, hair covering his eyes. "Yea, your right. It's just such a big job. I don't know how much longer I'll last. I think I may go insane."

Having lived for such a long time, Keitaro had lost himself to insanity twice. Both times scared him so much that he completely erased the time period's from his mind. But he still knew the feeling of when he was loosing it.

Jill saw the downcast look he had. Moving in closer, she put a gentle arm around him

"Hey hey now. Don't be like that. You have been so strong for so many years. How could you lose it now? You are what is holding this little group together. So if you go then we're all as good as wisps. Remember that."

Keitaro grimaced internally. 'Why must all the people that pull me from my depression be attractive young women? I don't think I could hope for anything worse. What happened to the days where a close friend gave you a wake up call? Yea, that was back when I was just normal. Or, as normal as I get. I hope some day…'

A shout pulled him from his spiralling thoughts. Looking up, he saw one of the young men white with fear. Yoko looked at him quizzically.

"What's up? You look like you seen a ghost."

The young man nodded. "Close enough. I sware I just saw a face up in that corner."

He pointed up at the roofs furthers corner, back where the shadows were the deepest. Keitaro instantly came too.

"Ok people, we have a threat. What you saw probably was a spirate. They like to watch from a dark corner where they can't be seen easily. So everyone, into the middle of the room. The most injured in the middle of the circle. Pronto."

Everyone quickly moved into the centre of the room, some holding hands while others just shook. What could they do if a spirate did attack? They had no weapons and the only way to kill a spirate was when they were in the middle of dividing a host. And the only hosts here were them. Lost in their thoughts, none of them noticed Keitaro stand up. He looked down at the group. Coughing, he called their attention.

"If the spirates attack now, I will try to hold them back as best as I can. Anyone who has their 6th senses far enough developed, please help me here. I will shoot them down as you hit them."

One of the sharper ones looked up at him questioningly. "But, the only way to kill a spirate is to hit them and the host. How will you shoot them down?"

Keitaro sighed internally. "Don't worry about that. It's another technique that I learnt while training under the general. Now please focus."

Nodding, the group faced outwards, everyone ready to attack.

Sitting there, the smallest sound caused sharp gasps along with small telekinetic balls thrown in random directions. Keitaro never moved though. He stood with his eyes closed and fists clenched. He emptied his mind of everything and focused on the task at hand. He felt everyone around him. He saw their unique energy signals. Widening his search, he began sussing out the place. Thankfully, the inside of the warehouse was devoid of anything other than them. Reaching out further though, a small frown flickered across his face. The air around the shed was practically filled with spirates. Keitaro watched their flight patterns. Their movements began to change as they picked up speed. Keitaro clenched. They would attack soon.

'…'

'…'

'…NOW!'

Instantly hundreds of spirates shot through the walls. Surprised screams echoed around as random balls of telekinetic energy were thrown around, most avoided by the spirates.

Keitaro stood straight, hands out stretched and firing multiple black balls into the confusion above him. They followed their desired targets, tracking the spirate around the room until it was hit, sending it to the ground in a screaming mass of flames. Balls of energy were rocketing around everywhere. But to Keitaro's dismay, for every spirate he killed, several more would fly through the walls. Grimacing, Keitaro sent yet another spirate to its grave.

'What the hell is happening? Numbers like this are unheard of!"

A scream caused Keitaro to look over. A spirate had made its way over through the onslaught and was targeting one of the leaders. Keitaro threw a Ki ball at it and quickly disposed of it.

'That was too close.'

From that the fight continued. Spirates fell and yet more still poured in through the roof and walls, all intent on getting to the small cluster of humans. But again and again they were picked off one by one as the humans fought diligently to save themselves. In the recesses of their small minds, the spirates began to realise that the main cause of their deaths was that one human standing up. Those black balls coming from his hands were what was eliminating their numbers. Slowly they came up with a very basic plan.

Distract him. Get the others. Then get him. Simple.

-------

Keitaro had sweat coming off him in sheets. Never had he heard of such numbers so desperately attacking humans. When spirates failed to get their host, them and their kind left the person alone for the remainder of their lives. But now, hundreds, possibly thousands of spirates were all attacking over and over, so desperate to divide them. Why? A small cluster of spirates began forming over in the corner of the roof. Targeting them, he unleased several powerful Ki blasts. They were quickly turned to ash just as another weird group of them gathered. Keitaro frowned as he finished them off. He knew all their attacking forms off by heart. This wasn't one of them.

Every time Keitaro destroyed a group, another one was waiting for him. The weird thing was they didn't seem to do anything but fly in circles. Turning, Keitaro fired off yet more Ki blasts. Even after training for so long, all this exertion upon his body was taking its toll. He felt his muscles screaming at him for rest. He began to feel light headed and his pulse sky-rocketed.

'Come on, keep at it! You're the only one who can take these things out so don't pass out, not yet, not ever!'

Still more of the swirling formations of spirates appeared, attracting more and more of his attention. As his stamina ebbed, a few lone spirates began treading closer to the group. It took longer for the standing human to notice them before they were burned. Their perpetual grins widening even further, they began creating more and more swirls.

Keitaro felt completely drained. Almost all his energy was gone and still the spirates continued. And now four or five of the swirling masses were forming at a time, attracting almost all his attention.

'I-I don't know how much more I got…'

"**EEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!****"**

Keitaro spun around to face the scream. He felt the blood drain from his face as he registered what he saw. Every one int the group had a spirate attached to them. All the young ones were in the process of being divided, their harrowing screams echoing all around Keitaro. Rooted to the spot, he watched on in shear horror as one by one, his friends fell to the deadly ghosts. A tug on his pants caused him to look down. Yoko sat there, hands over his nose and mouth, eyes pleading desperately with him. A spirate clamoured over his form, looking for the way in.

'No…this can't happen again. Not again!'

And Keitaro lost it.

An immense blast of Ki shot through the spirate, sending its screaming form to the floor. Keitaro whipped around to face the spirates dividing the rest of his group. Even Jill had been overcome by the spirates, her anguished screams intertwining with the others. His black eyes shone with anger. His aura sprang to life, excess amounts of energy flying out across the room, every spirate within range instantly being incinerated, not even having the time to shout. Watching another group of close friend yet again begin to leave him, Keitaro shook his head.

'No. No, not again. I'm tired of this life. The world is dead as I know it. I'm going home.'

Turning away from the group, Keitaro quickly summoned his abilities. The purple and grey lines appeared before his eyes. Willing them together, he felt a bump against his side as they merged. Instantly light shone form Keitaro. Again, the heart rates of what people were left began to slow. Their breathing ceased. And again, any type of indication that the people of the earth had ever been alive vanished.

-------

A/N - and there you have another chapter. I'm guessing you know where it's headed.


	7. Chapter 7

Second update in as many days. I'm so generous.

Keitaro gets emotional in this one. Please don't be beating me down for it.

I own nothing.

**Chapter 7**

"W-wha…s-s-so c-c-c-cold…"

Yoko's pained mind struggled to fight off the freezing feeling. All he could feel was his frozen cheek pressed against something he had jumped against. It was just so cold he couldn't remember what it was. Twitching slightly, he attempted to gather his thoughts.

"R-right. I n-need to get m-m-moving. Ok, l-little finger…y-y-you f-first."

Putting all available willpower into his thought, he begged his little finger to move. Nothing happened. Breathing out, Yoko began to panic.

"D-don't worry…s-sights set t-to high. Open my e-eyes…"

Again summoning all his will, he forced his eyes apart. But then something twigged. His eyes hadn't opened. It was like the world had just focused in from black. Groaning internally, Yoko looked around. And around some more. And some more.

"W-what the f-f-f…"

His vision rotated a full 360 degrees until he was looking back at the same boring wall. Shivering again, Yoko noticed something. Just a few feet to his left was a roof corner. Would have been normal hadn't the roof been over fifteen feet over their heads. Frowning as much as the cold allowed, Yoko tried looking down. A small success as his vision turned floor wards. And then his eyes opened slightly in shock. Beneath him sat the group. All of them in the process of being divided. Keitaro stood looking away from the group, not paying any attention to them. And by his side…was him. And none of them were moving. Each was frozen in place like a wax replica of the entire scene. But then movement caught his eye. Yoko gasped.

Keitaro's wax form glowed slightly before relaxing. A deep breath left his body, like he had been holding it for hours. Looking over his shoulder, he tried to move. When he failed to do so, Keitaro looked down. A tear pooled in the side of his eye as he saw Yoko clutching his side like a life line.

"I'm so sorry…"

Yoko saw this all happening and wondered just what was going on.

'Sorry? For what?'

Keitaro gripped Yoko's wrists gently and pulled them from around his waist. Pulling them apart, he laid his body gently on the ground, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

Yoko would have been feeling sorry for Keitaro hadn't the weirdest sensation come over him. He saw Keitaro move his body, but he felt it, like he was lying down there. Which he wasn't. Yoko's stretched mind struggled to take it in.

'Oh, this is too weird…but his hands are soo warm! Oh the heat…must get more…must get closer to Keitaro…'

Slowly his mind began to fade. But the heat Keitaro touched him with began to grow. Grinning as much as his drunken state would allow, he let his mind succumb to darkness as the life giving heat began to spread through out his body.

----

Keitaro stood motionless. After regaining the use of his body, he had found his closest friend in years latched onto him, eyes clenched tight as if holding Keitaro would scare everything away. Pulling him off had been the hardest thing Keitaro had done in centuries. It was like Keitaro was rejecting Yoko's cry for help. Or, at least, that's how it felt. More tears slid silently down his cheeks as the frozen echoing screams bounced around the room. Taking a few steps away from the group, Keitaro's shoulders shook silently.

'I hate this…I HATE THIS!!!! WHY CAN'T I JUST FINALLY BE FINISHED?'

Looking furiously around, Keitaro saw a large piece of metal sticking out of the ground. He pounded over to it, tears streaming out after him. Gripping the huge spike, he ripped it out of the ground and held it over his head with ease. More tears fell to the ground as he lifted the one ton object higher.

"WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE?!?!"

Pulling the shard down, the immense splinter buried itself inside Keitaro's torso, the sharp point exploding from his back in a spray of blood.

-------

Yoko slowly came too. He raised a hand to his head and massaged his eyes. Pausing, he lifted his hand away and looked at it.

"Damn that was a weird dream."

Looking around, Yoko felt too tired to anything. All he saw was his team mates crouched over frozen in place. Raising an eyebrow, Yoko forced himself up on an elbow.

They really were frozen in place.

Reaching out, he touched the nearest person. Their body was icy cold. Getting worried, Yoko looked around for other clues. Quiet sobs reached his ears from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Keitaro standing there, alone and downcast. His shoulders twitched as he cried gently. To Yoko, Keitaro had never looked more pitiful. He was about to go to see him when Keitaro looked up furiously. Tears streaked down his face as he whipped his head back and forwards, looking for something. His eyes settled on something and he stormed over to it. Yoko saw him aiming for a large piece of sharp metal protruding from the ground. He was about to call out when Yoko's eyes almost popped out of his head. Keitaro had grabbed the thing and ripped it from the ground, holding the massive chunk of metal and concrete above his head. The whole thing was about the side of a bus and yet he held it with ease. Yoko was silenced as shock over came his senses. What the hell was this strength? Keitaro then cried out, his pain filled voice chilling Yoko to the bone.

"WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE?!?!"

And before Yoko could say anything, Keitaro plunged the whole dam thing into his chest. Blood sprayed all over the place, a few droplets even hitting Yoko. But he didn't notice. All he could do was gape at Keitaro. The powerful young man just stood there with about five feet of rod sticking from his spine. But he did not collapse. Instead he pulled the whole thing out and plunged it back in again. And again and again.

Yoko couldn't comprehend what was happening. Here was a man holding something almost one hundred times his own weight over his head with ease. And now he was spearing himself in the chest repeatedly and not dying. Yoko watched on in amazement. He saw the massive gash in Keitaro's back heal up over and over again, no matter how many times he attacked himself. Finally regaining the use of his tongue, Yoko almost called out but was silenced again as Keitaro finally got bored with stabbing himself. Glaring daggers at the object that was unable to kill him, Keitaro flung the giant chunk of metal and rock across the room. Not touching the floor once, it hit the wall and exploded through it. Onwards it flew, smashing through buildings and trees like they were wet paper. Finally loosing its momentum, it came to a rest in a devastated street at least a kilometer from its initial launch zone. Yoko numbly turned his head back to Keitaro. The irate young male was practically staring flames after the projectile. He then turned his gaze to the ground. Little grunts of frustration began to creep from his throat. And then with a cry, he punched himself across the face.

The echoing crack reverberated around the room as the magnitude of the hit collided with Yoko as a shockwave. Almost blown onto his back, Yoko watched on in astonishment as Keitaro began his frenzied rampage. Keitaro stomped around the perimeter of the shed, his feet sinking into the ground, disintegrating the solid cement in explosions of dust and stone fragments. Punches flew everywhere, absolutely obliterating anything they touched. Fists exploded through solid metal sheets, stone pillars had half their side blown apart into dust. Anything within range was hit with the furious balls of anger. Keitaro's body was no excuse. With every incredible hit dealt to his chest or head, Keitaro would be thrown backwards a few feet to land in a crater created by his own body. And every time, he would get back up to continue the assault upon himself and the walls.

Yoko watched as Keitaro continued the torture upon his body. But what really got Yoko was that the whole time, Keitaro was crying. Deep wracking emotional sobs pierced Yoko's heart as he watched the unstable man unleash Armageddon upon himself. After what seemed hours, the hits and cracks began to slow. Eventually they came to a complete stop. Breathing heavily, Keitaro just stood there for a few seconds before collapsing to his knees, crying his heart out.

As fearful of Keitaro as he was, Yoko still felt the need to go over to him. Getting to his feet, he unstably made his way over to the ball of misery. Just out of reach, he took a shaky breath.

"Keitaro?"

Instantly the noises stopped. The boy tensed up for a bit. Then a bloodshot eye appeared over Keitaro's shoulder, looking back at the scared person behind him. Upon seeing who it was, the eye widened in utter astonishment. Keitaro quickly spun round to face Yoko, surprise all over his face. He did nothing but gape up at Yoko, his brain seemingly shut down.

Yoko stood there for a few seconds until he felt really uncomfortable. Steeling himself, he moved forward. Kneeling down in front of his old friend, he gently gripped his shoulders and shook him.

"Oi, Keitaro. Wake up man. It's ok now. I don't know why you did all that stuff but it's ok."

Keitaro looked up numbly at him. "You saw all that?"

Yoko nodded hesitantly. "Yea, right from when you picked up that whopping chunk of ground and tried to kill yourself."

Keitaro hung his head. "Yea. Tried."

The oddity of those two words caused Yoko to frown. "Are you ok? You sound like you want to die."

Keitaro looked up at him, pain apparent in his eyes. "I do. But I can't. You know that."

Yoko thought back for a few seconds. "Uh, no I don't. What do you mean you can't die? Well, I know you can't now. I saw you take hits that would have wiped out an entire army only to get up without a scratch. What are you?"

Keitaro then realised that after he had rewound time the first time, he never told Yoko that he was immortal a second time.

Keitaro then shrugged. "Oh. Oh yea I remember now. I'm immortal."

Yoko would have taken a step back hadn't he been so determined to find out what was going on.

"If I hadn't just seen what I saw, I'd say you were nuts. So, why are you immortal?"

Keitaro shook his head. "I duno. It's just that from birth I could never get hurt by anything. When I hit twenty years old, I stopped ageing. That was about five million years ago. Can you comprehend that? Five million years. The things I have seen and done should never be remembered. But I have lived on and can remember everything. And all those things I have seen just keep filling my head even more. I have a perpetual headache that will not go away. I lose friends all the time. Their lives go too fast for me to even comprehend it. Now can you see why I want to die?"

Yoko's head swelled from everything Keitaro said. Five million years old??? What could that do to a person? Keitaro's depressed rambling continued as Yoko thought. It seemed that such a long time simply sent you into a permanent state of depression. Grabbing Keitaro's shoulders, Yoko gave him a shake. Keitaro stopped his dark talking to look up at Yoko. And Yoko had to look away. His eyes showed such pain that just looking at them made Yoko's soul cry out. He couldn't even comprehend what it must be like living with that.

Summoning up some courage, Yoko looked Keitaro in the eyes again. "So. If you have lived for that long, does that mean you have descendants speckled all across time?"

Keitaro shook his head. "Once I realised I was going to be alive forever, I made the promise to myself to never pass on my curse. I couldn't live with myself if I knew someone else was suffering like me. I can't even live with myself now."

Yoko sat back. Thoughts danced through his mind as he tried to sort out all this information he had just learnt. Keitaro was immortal. He also had inhuman strength, stamina and speed. He was the very epitome of what humans could become. And every day he broke that barrier, showing just how much more a human could do if they had the opportunity. It was all real ground breaking material.

"So, if you are so powerful and all, why don't you show yourself to the human race and try to gather them for a better cause? Surely with a stable direction we could do much good."

Keitaro snorted. "The human race? Bah, it's pathetic. I have tried what you said many times. And every single damn time there will be a group of them that try to capture me and use me like a weapon to gain leverage in politics or something petty like that. So then I have to go into hiding until they all die. It sucks."

Yoko nodded slowly. He could understand that. Deciding to change topic, he looked around.

"So, where are we now? It's like everything is frozen in time."

Keitaro nodded offhandedly. "Yea, something like that."

Yoko paused for a second. That wasn't the answer he'd been expecting.

Keitaro continued. "'Bout a day or two ago I unlocked the 8th sense. Looks like it's time travel."

Yoko stared at him. "Two days ago? But you said you had no idea then!"

Keitaro looked at him. "I didn't then. I've already backtracked to try and save us once. So think it more as two days from my perspective. And all it did was buy us more time. Looks like you can't change the course of things, just alter how they happen."

Yoko struggled to comprehend everything. Keitaro had unlocked the 8th sense!? Thinking about it, that meant that this depressed man was the most powerful thing ever to walk the earth.

Yoko pulled his legs under him. "So, if you can't change what happens, what are you doing now?"

Keitaro shrugged. "I dunno. I was gona go right back to when I was actually twenty. Back then there was none of this fighting, no spirates, no curfews, just average people living life the way they like. The oceans were clean, things actually lived in them. That and the best friends I had ever had lived back then."

Yoko pouted. "I thought I was your best friend."

Keitaro nodded. "Yea, you are. But then over all the years I have lived, I have had a few good friends. You're the best in a long while though. You're the first I have told of my ability to manipulate Ki in…ohhh…two hundred thousand years or so."

Yoko looked at the ground. He felt better knowing Keitaro trusted him. Looking up, he smiled the best smile he could muster.

"So, if your going aaaaaaall the way back to the start of your life, do you think I could join you? I don't fancy living out the rest of my life as a degenerate spirate."

Keitaro smiled weakly. "Yea, I guess I could bring you along for the ride. Though, I don't know how because I don't even know how I saved you from the time stop in the first place."

Yoko thought for a second. "I dunno. It may sound a little seedy but if I'm touching you in some way, say holding your shoulder, I think that protects me from the effects of everything. It would explain why I am here now."

Keitaro nodded. "Ok then. Might as well grab my shoulder now."

Yoko nodded and reached out. Just before touching him, Yoko paused. "Say, can you go forward in time?"

Keitaro nodded.

Yoko smiled. "Sweet! Can we please go forward to see what happens to earth? Like right up until the end?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Why not. It's not like we're wasting time."

Yoko laughed and clapped a hand to his friends shoulder.

Keitaro allowed a smile to creep into his lips. Concentrating, he built up a ball of telekinetic energy. Pushing it out, it met resistance.

"Gearing engaged."

Yoko raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Keitaro just smiled and rose his right arm. Yoko gasped as suddenly everything began travelling forward at an accelerated rate. He turned and watched the small group behind him seemingly explode into hundreds of wisps before shooting out through the roof.

"So…that's what it looks like."

Keitaro nodded. "Yea. Horrible."

Yoko shifted his body around. Keeping his hand on Keitaro's shoulder, he watched the world around them rotate. The sun and moon traded places four or five times every second. Yoko watched on in fascination as the warehouse around them crumbled quickly. Vines and other plant life quickly shot over the fallen ruins. Now with nothing to obscure their vision, the two of them watched with varied interest as trees grew and died, all within minutes. As time continued, Yoko noticed something.

"Hey, there seems to be a hell of a lot more spirates now."

Keitaro nodded, eyes flickering. "Yea. We're about one thousand years into the future. Seems like there's no humans left."

Yoko tipped his head to one side. "One thousand years? How'd ya know that?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Dunno. I can just tell."

Leaving the question as another one of Keitaro's mysteries, Yoko turned back to face the world. He watched everything change. He saw the town around them crumble, years of degeneration falling the buildings. Plants and animals over took the area. During the extremely brief nights, Yoko saw huge hulking animals lumbering around. Most were as tall as the building used to be, some even taller. Through his thoughts, Yoko heard Keitaro speak.

"Those are probably from the forbidden zone. Now that there are no humans left it looks like they got out. Their evolved forms look quite menacing."

Yoko nodded as he watched everything grow and change. Looking up, he saw that the sun seemed a lot bigger. It was also a deeper red than he remembered.

"How far into the future are we?"

"About ten thousand years."

"Ah."

Yoko now knew what was happening. Watching the sun, he saw it slowly grow in size until it completely filled the horizon. The earth around them was now thoroughly parched of water and plant life. Monstrous creatures roamed the earth, feeling only on the flesh of their companions. Arid desert covered the world, covering all traces that anything had ever lived there. The massive animals all died out, leaving only small mammal like creatures and insects to scavenge over the flat ground. The sun steadily grew until in a massive heave, it exploded. Yoko watched on in amazement as its solar flare rocketed across the globe, the shockwave ripping massive chunks of the earth away from under them. Earthquakes rocked the planet as massive fissures cracked open the crust, allowing white hot magma to bubble up to the surface. Just when it all looked like it was claming down, the remaining cloud of the sun began sinking back into itself. It picked up speed, the earth moving in with it. Yoko stared after it as all the rest of the fifteen known planets that circled the now dead sun were pulled inwards. Reaching the centre of the sun, they all circled a deep black point once or twice before being sucked into the depths of the black hole that now remained of the sun.

Lowering his arm, time slowed down until it stopped. And all alone in the middle of nothingness sat Keitaro and Yoko, safe inside their bubble of time. Finally dragging his eyes from the overwhelming sight before him, Yoko looked up at Keitaro in amazement.

"Wow. That was incredible. …Words just don't describe it."

Keitaro nodded. "Yep. Seems that even if the human race had survived the spirate overthrow, we'd all be dead in…one hundred thousand, two hundred and seven years."

Yoko stared at Keitaro. "How can you tell so accurately?"

Keitaro shrugged again. "Dunno. I just can."

Yoko nodded and looked back out into space. All the trillions of stars sparkled happily, completely unaware of this one sun and its planets death. Sighing, Yoko sat back. Keitaro noticed.

"Well, I guess you should go to sleep. It's gona take a hell of a long time to get back to where I wanna go."

Yoko nodded. "Right-o. Keep me feeling fresh."

Settling down, Yoko made sure he had a leg draped over some part of Keitaro. Lying down, he yawned deeply before closing his eyes. Keitaro smiled and thought quietly to himself for a bit.

'Well, looks like it will be ok. At least, as ok as it can get. The planets dead, there is no remaining trace that humans ever existed. But I am alive with Yoko. That alone is reason enough to keep going I guess. Might as well get on with it."

Taking one last drawn out look around him, Keitaro sighed. Pushing his telekinetic abilities into the resistance, Keitaro slowly raised his left arm. Smiling as everything undid, Keitaro allowed himself a satisfied smile.

'Here I come girls. I hope you don't mind too badly if I bring a friend."

------

A/N - And finish for another chapter. I hope I kept Keitaro as realistic as possible…even though he has super strength and stuff.

P.S. - Yes I know that the sun isn't meant to explode for another 4 billion years or something -a - rather. Just saying so so I don't get messages telling me the correct timeline of the suns life or something.

Well, hope you liked it. See ya in the next chappie.


	8. Chapter 8

Next chapter. Enjoy.

I own nothing thus making me poor.

**Chapter 8**

Brief snapshots of the past shot past Keitaro's eyes rapidly. Through some added ability he didn't quite understand, he was able to keep up with what was happening. Just now, him and his passenger were passing through the mid 4000's. The first successful mission to Pluto quickly flashed through his vision, followed by the first unsuccessful mission resulting in over one thousand crew members perishing. (A/N - remember we are going backwards in time so this does work)

Sighing, Keitaro shifted. Yoko's leg was getting heavy. The sleeping boy shifted as Keitaro moved. About two or three hours had passed since they had embarked on their trip so the spot where the boy's leg was positioned was getting numb. Ignoring the cry for blood and oxygen, Keitaro turned his thoughts back to the speeding timeline. It was now early 3000's.

Keitaro grinned. "Not too long now."

--------

Motoko, Shinobu, Su and Naru were all making their way back from school. Dew to it being the last day of term for them all, they had all dropped the last period of school and met up for a cool drink and a small but fatty snack. They walked down the side street, chatting idly. Most people gave them a wide berth as soon as they saw the evil looking katana hanging by the resident swordswoman's side. In light of that, they made excellent time down the normally packed footpath. Shinobu and Su were chatting about their classes while Naru intermixed with them where she could, throwing in comments here and there. Motoko just walked along impassive as ever. But beneath the stoic exterior, her mind was a mess. Something had been bothering her all day. Her senses had picked up a very small, but very irregular Ki pattern early in the morning. From then, it had slowly grown in power until it now was the complete focus for the teenager. It was unlike anything she knew, but it seemed familiar in some weird way, not unlike the bumbling managers. But this was a much more refined, powerful and suppressed version. That and it felt like it was coming towards her from somewhere. Walking along, Motoko looked at the ground and frowned in concentration. Noticing this, Naru bumped into Motoko's hip with her own. A couple of by standing boys started drooling, only to end up running away as one of their numbers was sent into a wall.

"What's up there Motoko? You look like your sister is coming to visit."

Motoko looked up briefly. "No. Thankfully she's not dew to come over until Christmas. Unfortunately, I sense another Ki signal drawing near as we speak. And it is of quite some strength. I am just calculating how much time we have until it arrives."

Naru raised her eyebrows. "Right. Well I'll leave that stuff to you. Anyway, hurry up. Shinobu and Su are nearly at the ice-cream stand and if we want any we better get there fast.

Motoko nodded and they jogged to catch up to the two young ladies, one desperately clinging to the others collar in an attempt to slow the latter's progress.

-----

The group of four arrived at the train station all patting their stomaches contently. Three of them were not without gilt though, each consuming many more donuts than originally planned. During the time though, Motoko was steadily growing more and more concerned as the new individual's Ki began hastening its pace towards them. It was now a rather large threat for the young kendo master and if it kept up its current rate of growth, it would soon be a match for her fabled sister.

A hand grabbed her shirt and pulled. Gasping in surprise, she quickly ended up against Naru in the packed train just as the doors closed. Mumbling an apology, she backed up as much as possible and coughed embarrassedly.

Naru giggled softly. "Still thinking about that weird ominous power ay?"

Motoko nodded glumly. "Indeed. It has taken up all of my concentration. Even to the point of needing you to pull me onto a train. Think of what could have happened should you have been an attacker rather than a friend."

Naru raised an eyebrow evilly. "Attacker huh? Maybe I should assault you viciously next time you need to get onto the train."

Motoko just gave Naru her usual unamused stare. "I think not. When I deal with this new problem, I think I will be then able to manage to board a train without assistance."

Naru just shrugged and glared evilly at a group of boys that were laughing quietly, no doubt thinking of how to get into bed with her.

-------

The train ride was mostly uneventful, with only three perverted males getting a fist or the likes in the stomach. As the girls got off the train, Shinobu looked back at Motoko worriedly. She had noticed on the train that the kendo girl had begun sweating and brief looks of fear had begun creeping onto her face. Now that they were off, she could see Motoko really struggling to deal with what ever it was.

"Motoko-senpai…?"

A very soft "I need to sit down" came from the tall girl just as she slumped down into a bench.

"Motoko-senpai!"

Sitting down beside her friend, Shinobu placed a concerned hand on her forehead. Though a little wet with perspiration, it was a normal temperature. Looking into Motoko's face, Shinobu worriedly placed a hand on her friends leg.

"Motoko, what's wrong?"

By now Naru and Su had come back and were kneeling down beside their tall friend. Motoko just sat looking at the ground blackly.

"It's so strong…it's just unbelievable…"

Naru lifted Motoko's face so she could see her eyes.

"What is so strong Motoko?"

Before the girl could answer, an incredible wave of energy crashed over her. It felt as if a shock wave had hit her from ever side simultaneously, knocking the air from her lungs and sapping the strength from her limbs. Then as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving Motoko sweaty and panting. But just before it left, a definite direction had been locked into the sword master's mind.

"Get to Hinata-sou, quickly!"

--------

Keitaro quickly came to. Just after re-animating everything, he had collapsed into a brief but deep sleep. Looking up at the sun, he took a fairly accurate guess that he had been asleep for about thirty minutes. Looking down at Yoko, Keitaro smiled. Coming back through the 8th wall must have drained him immensely as a small puddle of drool was just under his cheek. His breathing was deep and should he be left undisturbed, he could have slept maybe another few hours.

Standing, Keitaro stretched languidly, relishing the feeling of bones popping. Looking around, he noticed a small greyish tinge in the air. It only just attracted his attention as it was so faint but it was still there. Walking up to it, Keitaro noticed it seemed to roll in on itself somehow. It was strangely familiar, but not in a good way. Reaching out to touch it, he paused. A small tingling in his neck alerted him to several figures all moving rapidly their way. Their Ki's were frantic and chaotic. At least, three of them were. The fourth was more concentrated and focused, but still was disturbed more so than normal. Keitaro's eyes widened as he realised who they were.

"Ah crap! It must be the girls! AAK! I can't remember their names! AHH! Yoko! What will they do to him? Awww damit what do I do?"

Picking up the sleeping boy like a rag, he quickly ran inside, desperately hoping to find some form of identification for the girls. When the door to the inn closed, the little grey cloud faded slightly and drifted skywards. Dropping Yoko's form onto the couch, Keitaro awkwardly made his way through the rooms. An indignant snort alerted Keitaro that Yoko had awoken.

"Hmm? Yo what's happening man? Where are we?"

Keitaro didn't look up from his rummaging. "We are now back about five million years in the year two thousand and seven. Four members of the household are about to arrive and I can't remember their names! That and they are going to freak when they see another male in the house."

Yoko raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Why would they syke out at me?"

Keitaro turned to another pile of documents on the kitchen bench. "Let's just say that two of the four have a complex involving that they think all men are evil."

Yoko snorted. "Really? Weirdos."

Keitaro nodded. "Yea, I guess so. But I couldn't say that to them. Their like family."

Yoko laughed. "Should be easier to say it then!"

Keitaro made no response. He just grabbed Yoko and pulled him over to the bench. He then pointed at a stack of letters.

"Now search. I want to find names with a photo so I can at least introduce them to you."

Yoko shrugged and began sifting through the stacks. Keitaro continued with the hunting, sweat steadily increasing as they girls got closer.

"Found anything Yoko?"

"Nup."

Keitaro doubled his search speed. 'Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh cra…"

-"YES!"-

Standing up straight, Keitaro held over his head the registration book. And just then the four girls barged in through the front door looking in every direction at once. What they found, to the irritation of two members, was a certain member of the all girl dorms holding a book above his head while a friend of his sorted through their documents. Needless to say, one word seemed to sum up the whole situation.

"PERVERTS!"

Lunging forward, Naru zeroed in on the manager while Motoko focused her attention on the newcomer.

"YIPE!"

A fist homed in on Keitaro's face with deadly accuracy. Quickly raising a palm, Keitaro deflected it with a smack. Vaulting backwards he looked over to Yoko. He wasn't doing so well. The samurai was unleashing wave after wave of Ki attacks at the teenager, so many so that Yoko was only just able to avoid them. Even though he didn't understand it, he had this feeling that if they hit him, it would hurt.

Running over to the black haired girl, Keitaro gracefully aimed a perfect hit that knocked the hilt of the blade clean out of the swordswoman's hands. The blade arced slowly through the air, seemingly singing until it hit the carpet and buried itself halfway down into the ground.

Keitaro paused for a second or so, hand still outstretched. It was then he felt four pairs of eyes drilling holes in him. He turned to face them. Yoko stood back a bit, holding his chest and panting, wide eyed. But the four girls that occupied the room were all staring at him, mouths open, eyes wide. Standing back up straight, Keitaro scratched the back of his head while laughing nervously.

"Heh heh heh…yeah…about that…"

---------

About five minutes later, both males found themselves seated on the all purpose couch while the brunette ranted at them. Thankfully, Keitaro had managed to avoid using names up until now. Sitting there, Keitaro looked decidedly uncomfortable while Yoko just stared, gawking up at the girl as she continued her verbal abuse. He never thought he would find another person that could shout like the general.

Keitaro looked around from person to person. He knew that the raven haired samurai should have picked up his discomfort by now. It was only a matter of time until she challenged him. That or he needed to use her name. He didn't really know what was worse. Getting challenged by the aspiring youth or her finding out he had forgotten all their names. The two younger girls sat watching intently. The dark skinned foreigner seemed completely infatuated with the new comer while the blue haired girl held her hands over her chest while looking worriedly from them to the dominating female.

"…and with that in mind, how could you bring another one of these PERVERTS into our house Keitaro?"

"Huh?" Keitaro came back from his thoughts.

"I said, how could you bring this male in here? Who knows what he might have done should he have gotten the chance to be alone with Shinobu or Su?"

Keitaro internally fist pumped the air. 'Yes! Two names! I remember now. Su is the hyper one and Shinobu is the shy girl. How could I have forgotten?'

A little voice in the back of his head quietly whispered that five million years can do that. It was quickly disposed of.

"Uh…he isn't that bad. He is trust worthy and would never ever do something as perverted as you are talking about."

During the whole time, Yoko had remained silent. When his friend and the crazy lady paused for a breath, he raised a timid hand, he waited for the aggressive girl to notice him. She did.

"What?"

Flinching at the venom in the word, he shakily lowered his hand. "Uh…I-I was just wondering what pervert m-means…"

He quickly lowered his eyes to his lap at the look he got.

"What is a pervert? I'll tell you what a pervert is. A pervert is someone that tries to steal glances down shirts or up skirts of innocent young girls like the two behind me. And that is you."

Yoko's eyes doubled in size. During his upbringing, he had never even been in the same room as a girl except at meal time and during assemblies. Such accusations against him caused a flurry of waving hands and stuttered words.

"W-WHAT?!? I COULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING! That is completely wrong! How could you say that?"

Big sad puppy eyes replaced the shocked ones as he begged his assailant to believe him. But all he got was a growl.

"Surrre you wouldn't. The drive to be perverted is hardwired into every male alive so you are no exception."

Still thoroughly afraid, Yoko couldn't help but notice a blunder in the girls logic. "Uh…s-sorry...but if what you said is true…t-then why do you punish us for something that is just as much apart of us as your need to eat…o-or sleep?"

Yoko cringed as she began to say something. But when nothing came, he looked up hesitantly. Apparently, the statement had left her completely stumped. So clenching a fist, she did as she always did when out manoeuvred. She attacked.

"I DON'T CARE!"

Lashing out, Yoko saw the fist coming in at an incredible speed. Unable to do anything, he clenched his eyes shut and hoped it wouldn't hurt too much. A resounding crack echoed out and a spray of something wet, sticky and warm splashed over him. Yoko mentally collapsed. But then he noticed something. Though he heard the impact, he felt nothing.

'A-am I…dead?'

Opening one eye a crack, he looked up tentatively. The fist was there, but he had still yet to move. But, a coating of something red was all over the fist he saw, dripping off it slowly. Opening his other eye, he looked down over his body. It felt normal, but it was covered in a speckling of blood, droplets all over his shorts, tee-shirt and face. He guessed it wasn't his as he had no injury.

'So...who's is it then?'

Looking back up at the girl, he saw her face completely sheet white in fear. The other three behind her weren't much better off either. The blue headed girl had passed out, the samurai was standing up in shock and the dark skinned girl was gaping at something behind him. Turning around, he looked behind him towards the roof.

What he saw made him gasp in disbelief.

--------

A/N - Hahahaha so that's what a cliffy feels like? No wonder people do it so much. It's fun! Anyway, it looks like you'll just have to stew until the next chapter. BYBY!


	9. Chapter 9

JJ - Good point. If you read back a couple of chapters, you see that when Keitaro rewinds time, he backtracks where he has walked, talked, eaten etc. So when he has travelled back in time, you see that he has just followed his footsteps all the way back to then, as well as bringing back his knowledge of everything along with his Ki abilities. Then you will probably ask why Yoko and Keitaro didn't move in reverse while they were together. I guess that bringing back Yoko as well meant that they were spared the annoyance of doing everything in reverse lol I didn't really put that much thought into that part. Anyway, just clearing up things.

Before everyone starts sending me alert emails, I know the characters may be OOC. Not to worry. I will fix it during the story. I.E. They will go back to their normal, aggressive, assertive selves. Just read with an open mind I guess.

My own nothing.

**Chapter 9 **

He saw the fist aiming for his best friend. He knew that Yoko would not be able to survive a hit like that. Eyes blazing, he jumped the gap of a metre and a half in under a second. Just in time too. He felt the fist connect with his jaw bone. A snap echoed through his ears as he felt his jaw loosen off dew to the joint disintegrating. He felt his face fold slightly around the knuckles, cheek bone and upper jaw cracking under the pressure. And then it was gone as he shot towards the roof. At only halfway there, the gashes and compound fractures all across the left side of his face had healed. He looked up as the roof quickly came closer. Closing his eyes, he waited to smash through it. But something different happened this time. A blistering pain exploded outwards from his heart just before everything turned black.

--------

A large piece of wood stuck out at an odd angle. A viscous red liquid lazily dripped off its splintered end. The stud creaked under the weight that was hanging off it. A dead weight to be frank. This was because this large piece of wood was protruding from the left side of Keitaro's chest, just slightly off centre, more or less where his heart is located. His head hung forward limply, no life apparent in his flaccid body.

'…What have I done…'

Naru did nothing but stare. The huge splinter that stuck out of Keitaro's chest was more like something you find in horrible nightmares. But this time everyone was awake.

Everything seemed to slow down as Keitaro's blood lubed up the beam. With less resistance holding his body there, it began sliding forward slowly. Disgusting sounds of splinters breaking off inside the wound sounded out quietly while with his broken ribs scraped along the wood. As his body neared the end of the stud, it began leaning forward as the centre of gravity shifted. In one final sickly pop, Keitaro's body detached itself from the wood. He fell the four or so meters to the ground, landing heavily on his neck. A deathly snap sounded out, filling the room with its echo. And for a few seconds after that, no one moved.

"What have you done…"

Yoko moved first. Hesitantly, he crawled towards Keitaro's fallen body. Looking into his blank eyes, Yoko waved a hand in front of them.

Nothing.

He took his wrist up in two fingers.

No pulse.

Laying the limp arm back down by Keitaro's side, Yoko began to clench and unclench his hands.

"Why did you do that?"

Yoko waited a bit. Hearing nothing, he turned to face the attacker, eyes hidden under his bangs.

"Well?"

Naru's eyes were glazed over as she stared up at the spot where her manager had been hanging. Hearing Yoko's voice, she looked down.

"Huh?"

He stood up quickly. His eyes flashed and his knuckles popped under the strain of his grip. Storming up to Naru, he glared at her in the eye, tears running free.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT? **HUH? **WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE THAT? WHAT DID EITHER OF US DO TO WARRANT THAT?"

Naru backed up a few steps. "I…I didn't mean to…it was that you and him were being perve…"

Normally Motoko stepped in at times like this but the shear brutality of what had just happened even had her staring off into space. Not even the dull thud of fist meeting stomach made her flinch. Naru on the other hand doubled up in pain, clutching her abdomen. Yoko's eyes flashed in rage as the girl before him dropped to her knees coughing. Grabbing her shirt, he pulled the fearful girl up to look him in the eyes. Raising another fist, Yoko whispered something only Naru could hear.

"We did nothing to you. I don't even know you and you try to kill me. You succeeded in killing something but I guess he wasn't on your list…at the moment anyway. Well, I hope you can feel his pain because if you weren't a girl, I'd have you as close as possible now. So you'll just have to do with a reminder to keep you going on without him."

Raising the fist higher, he began to bring it down into the terrified girl's stomach.

His ears twitched and the fist stopped a mere inch from its target. Turning slowly, Yoko looked over his shoulder in a mixture of horror and hope. And then he heard it again. A sickly wet voice sounding like it was speaking through syrup.

"_Stop__…__it__…__Yoko__…"_

Dropping his quarry, he left the girl slumped down on her knees as he made his way back to Keitaro's corpse. Kneeling down beside it he lowered an ear to Keitaro's mouth. A soft gush tickled his ear.

"Impossible…"

Again the little breath of air traced its way over the sensitive skin. Kneeling back, Yoko stared at his dead friend for a second in amazement. Taking his wrist up again, he felt for something. Anything. And he found it.

Turning around quickly, he looked up at the three girls. "OI! Keitaro's not dead! I don't know how but he is alive! Quickly, get the emergency services here! PLEASE!"

When no one moved, Yoko clicked his fingers a few times. The young foreigner looked down at him.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? KEITARO NEEDS AN MEDICAL ASSISTANCE NOW! GET THEM HERE NOW!"

Nodding once, the girl took a few slow steps and a lingering glance at Keitaro before running into the opposite room. Turning away from her retreating form, Yoko turned his attention back to the young man in front of him. Not sure of what to do, Yoko just looked on helplessly as more blood seeped out of the puncture wound.

Naru charged up beside Yoko. She gave him a hefty shove and knocked him out of the road. Looking down into Keitaro's pale face, small tears landed on his cheeks.

'Please come back Keitaro! I never meant to hurt you like that…please forgive me…'

Yoko looked over at the distraught girl. As much as he detested her being as close to his wounded friend, he severely doubted he could shift her at the moment.

Motoko walked up behind Yoko. Though she had been a swordswoman all her life, she had never seen a dead person. Heard the stories of how people had died, seen them in her dreams but never had actually seen one in reality. But now before her lay her manager and if stretched far enough, friend, apparently dead.

The tiny flutter of a pulse under Keitaro's skin was still there. And it was getting stronger. Sitting back, Yoko watched on in wonder as colour returned to his friends face. His back nudged against a strong leg. Looking up, he saw the crazy girl attacking him before. But this time, she looked like Keitaro had when he had completely lost all hope, back in his original time. Sympathising with her, he motioned for her to sit. She did so and then just sat, staring at the body before her. Turning back to the body, they just sat, watching. And it was then that the miracle began.

Keitaro let out a deep sigh as something inside him clicked. Through the hole in his chest, Motoko and Yoko could see a completely wrecked lung begin to breath again. Its torn edges quickly began to sue up together until it was back to pristine condition. Muscles and tendons began streaking across the gap as ribs began to crack and seal, restoring themselves back to normal. Motoko's jaw dropped as she watched this. Looking up to Yoko, she saw him just as gob smacked as her. Looking back down to Keitaro, she covered her mouth in a soft gasp.

His chest was now whole again, save for there being absolutely no skin covering the pulsating red muscle lying underneath. Keitaro twitched and spasmed like his body was rebooting. In a final intake of breath, long tendrils of skin darted across the muscle, covering the wound in seconds. Motoko and Yoko stared on, gaping as the now fully recovered manager lay there sleeping soundly. Yoko fell back, mentally exhausted. Staring up at the roof, he heard a soft voice begin to whisper.

"This…this is incredible. In all my short years as a samurai I have never heard of someone actually recovering from death. I had thought it could have been a demon but there is no taints in his Ki. My sister has never said anything about something like this. Neither have my parents. I…I have absolutely no idea how he has accomplished this. It is truly a miracle."

Yoko nodded. _"__Ya ha. He told me his was immortal but I never actually thought he could survive something like this__…"_

In an instant Motoko was up, shaking in fear, sword drawn. She eyed up Yoko down her blades edge, clearly shaken. Yoko scooted back up against the wall in fear.

"Y-you entered my mind. How did you do it?"

Yoko held up his hands as the blade came ever closer to his neck. "I-it's the 6th s-sense! I sware!"

Motoko snorted, clearly unbelieving. "No, this is some sort of demon work. You must have been trying to gain entrance into my mind! You nearly succeeded but now I will send you back to hell!"

Yoko screamed and curled up in a ball. Motoko's eyes gleamed and she swung down. A loud crack echoed out and Yoko twitched. 'I didn't feel anything…am I dead this time?'

Looking up, he saw Motoko's sword quivering in the air, like it was being pushed against something. Looking up past that, Yoko's eyebrows raised as he saw her face. Motoko was looking absolutely horrified. Her pupils were massively dilated and her face twitched from time to time in fear. It almost looked like she was hearing a voice…Yoko looked over at Keitaro. The boys eyes were shut but he was tensed up. Looking back up at Motoko, he could more or less guess what Keitaro was doing.

"_He speaks the truth Motoko. This is the 6__th__ sense.__"_

The young girls eyes drooped. Her poor mind had been exposed to too much information in too short a time. Dropping to her knees, she wobbled around a bit. Her eyes fully clouded over and she went down. Nearing the floor, her limp form was caught by Naru. Looking up, she glared the boy in front of her with fear and anger. Not yet ready to tackle him again just yet, she lifted Motoko up and began dragging her towards the stairs. As she pulled the samurai up the stairs a soft voice wafted down to Yoko's ears.

"Watch your back pervert. I will be back for Keitaro soon."

Sitting up, Yoko watched them go. Shaking his head, he ignored what she said and ran over to Keitaro. Kneeling down beside his friend, he pushed him.

"Yo man, you can open your eyes now. Their all gone."

Keitaro's eyes twitched a bit before opening. Looking up, he saw Yoko's relieved eyes looking back down.

"You gave us all quite a scare there mate."

Keitaro just nodded and pulled himself up. He rested his back against the wall and breathed deeply. Sighing he turned to Yoko.

"Yea. But this time I was actually unconscious for the whole healing thing. Thankful for that too because just before I blacked out, the most exquisite pain erupted through my chest."

Yoko nodded sarcastically. "Yea, you'd get that when you get impaled on a support beam in the ceiling."

"Huh?"

Looking up behind him, Keitaro glanced at the roof. Thankfully there wasn't a complete hole through the roof. Just a few splintered supports and…blood? Squinting, Keitaro took a closer look. The main support beam had been broken in half and was soaked with blood. He raised his eyebrows.

"Wow, now I'm really glad I passed out. That would have been agony!"

Just then Su came bounding in, a mixture of concern and excitement. Seeing her most favouritist manager in the whole wide world sitting up apparently all healed up, she attacked.

"KEITAROS!"

She hit the ronin with considerable force, enough so to knock him across the floor. But this time she came with him, latched onto his chest in a bare hug. She nuzzled his chest while muttering contently. Yoko was left sitting stunned at the young girls unexpected response.

'Glad she hit him and not me…'

Keitaro struggled to get his breath under the incredible grip of the seemingly fragile girl. While being crushed, he remembered something. Shinobu had been in the room the whole time! And if she saw what had happened…

"Where's Shinobu?"

Yoko looked at him in confusion. "Who?"

Keitaro struggled to get up. "The young blue head girl. Where is she?"

Yoko looked round. A small blue spot clashed with the lounges brown and the carpets dull grey.

"There she is!"

Running over to her, Keitaro lifted her onto the chair. Looking down into her face, he brushed a few stray hair strands away. The touch brought a hiccup and a breath. Slowly her eyes opened. They wandered a bit before focusing on the kind face looking down at her.

"You ok?"

Those two caring words brought tears afresh as the young girl latched onto her crush.

"OH KEITARO I HAD THE MOST HORRIBLE DREAM NARU PUNCHED YOU AND YOU HIT THE ROOF AND GOT STUCK ON A BIG CHUNK OF WOOD AND DIED I SWARE IT WAS THE WORST THING I HAD EVER SEEN!!!"

Drawing a huge breath, the small girl began crying over the horrible images. Keitaro shakily put his arms around her. He wasn't to sure what to do now, or what to do with the hole in the roof. Surely if she saw it she would want to murder…damn it. Still can't remember her name. Anyway, poor Shinobu wouldn't be able to take it. Thinking for a bit, a smile crept onto Keitaro's lips. Pushing off her gently, he stood back. She looked up, emotions a mixture of confusion and disappointment. The gently smile that was on her loves face did calm her a little though.

"Don't worry Shinobu. In a second, you won't remember a thing."

"Huh?"

She tried to speak but was stopped cold as for a split second, she swore she saw Keitaro become engulfed in a brilliant white light. Before she could actually comprehend it, she stopped breathing.

---------

Keitaro took a breath and looked around. Yoko was shuffling through a stack of papers and he had a couple of papers in his hands. A twig in his neck told him the girls were close. Jumping to a completely different stack, he reached out and grabbed the registration book. Not thinking to say anything, he flicked through the book supernaturally fast. Dropping it, he grabbed Yoko and ran over to the lounge. A wave of his hand sent all the papers and notes fluttering back to their rightful place. Throwing Yoko into the couch, he dropped down beside him just as the door opened revealing four curious girls.

"Ah, Narusegawa, Motoko-chan! There you are. Shinobu, Su-chan."

Motoko stepped forward. "Do not play coy with me Urashima. I felt a massive power spike unlike anything ever before. I feel that you have something to do with it. Reveal yourself!"

Blade close to the vital arteries that carried the precious blood to his very important brain, Keitaro swallowed.

"W-what are you talking about Motoko-chan? Heh, there's nothing unusual about me. Just your normal, under achiever Keitaro."

He tried to smile but it was so fake it looked like it hurt.

Motoko's scowl deepened. "You lie. Your perversion never ends. And now you bring another male into the house? Prepare for your daily discipline!"

Jumping high, the samurai screamed out and unleashed a wave of Ki at them. Keitaro's eyes flashed softly as in one swift movement, he jumped over Yoko, grabbing his shirt along the way. He flipped high in the air before landing solidly, catching a startled Yoko easily. A split second later the couch they were sitting on exploded in a puff of foam and excess energy. He dropped Yoko and saw Motoko looking at him smugly. Sheathing her sword, she turned and headed up the stairs.

"The roof. I will supply the swords. Meet me there in one hour. Do not be late."

---------

A/N - Seemed like a good spot to finish up. Sorry if the Naru/fist thing made you unhappy. But as you can see I changed it so it never happened. I'll try to make the next chapter bigger to make up for this one.

Keep reading if you want. I'll just keep writing. :D


	10. Chapter 10

Ha, Ten chapters already! This is a really fun story to write too. Hope everyone is enjoying it as much as me.

Many thanks to renzocon for pointing out my sware/swear problem. I will look out for that now :D

Good question Jakinbandw. This is my excuse :P For the part where Yoko was unable to protect himself from Motoko, I'm thinking that it was more fear that paralysed him. I guess he was so scared he forgot he could conjure up an invisible barrier. That and he was only new to the ability so it wasn't second nature yet. Anyway, they can't remember it anymore so it's all good now.

I own nothing.

**Chapter 10**

Keitaro sighed as he stripped down. Cracking a shoulder, he looked at the ground.

"What is up with Motoko and fights? Was she always this determined to see me destroyed in battle?"

He walked over to his wardrobe and looked in. Choosing some suitable pants and shirt, he slipped into them. Jumping a few times, he let the fabric settle into comfortable positions on his skin. Taking two steps back, Keitaro let his weight drop and he collapsed into his futon. Looking up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes and listened to everything. The birds outside, the shuffling of tenants around the house. Slowly Keitaro's eyes began to droop as sleep came. Just as he began to drift, a sharp rap came at his door causing him to jump several feet into the air. He landed heavily on his rump with a thud. Standing, he mumbled something before stomping over to the door. Opening it he saw the concerned face of Yoko.

"Oh. Yoko. Come in."

The tall boy nodded and wandered over to Keitaro's bed. He dropped down and looked up at his friend.

"Will you be ok?"

Keitaro paused for a second. Of course he'd be ok.

"I mean, will you be ok fighting someone like her?"

Keitaro nodded. It was understandable that Yoko would be concerned. He hadn't come in contact with someone like Motoko before so he was unaccustomed to such aggression.

"Don't worry. If it was me when I was twenty, right now I would be hiding in the darkest corner of the secret hallways that course through this building. Now, I'm actually more worried that when I fight Motoko I'll over do it."

Yoko nodded uneasily. "Yea, I guess so. But there is still the possibility of you getting hurt. I mean, she blasted us with that weird windy thing. I'm guessing that was a Ki attack?"

Keitaro nodded. "Well observed. It was when Motoko died that my interest in martial arts and Ki manipulation sparked. I had always viewed her as the exact person I wanted to be, other than her being a girl. She is strong, focused and diligent in every aspect of her life. I sort of moulded my training and mindset to mimic hers. The only thing that I didn't follow was her dismissal of the opposite sex. Had I taken a similar view to her I probably would have turned against all humans in general. We both know how badly the human race has fallen and I know every point in time where a key something goes wrong. Should they happen again I could probably stop it now. Perhaps I could create a newer, happier, more productive human race…"

Yoko looked at Keitaro queerly as he continued his train of thought. While watching Keitaro, Yoko's eyes flashed with an idea and he opened his mouth to say something. But he paused for a second, thinking about how best to phrase the question.

"Keitaro, you know how your immortal and all? Well, with me not being immortal, what will happen to me in this time line? Is me being here cancelling out my future life because of this? How will I effect everything?"

Keitaro thought for a second. "I'm not sure. Think of it like this. Even if I didn't come back with you, the fact that I know all of what I know will probably influence the future. Maybe it will create a completely new future. Maybe time will just mould around our intrusion and continue along a predestined path. Maybe this is a whole new time line that we have entered that is yet to have its future moulded. Who knows. All I can say is that its probably not the first option as if we immediately created a new future by arriving here, it is highly probable that you wouldn't have survived reanimation."

Yoko visibly paled.

"If we are just going to be incorporated into the present time, that means that we can live normally so long as we never pass on our genes. Should that happen then children that never should have been born will be born and thus an entire new genetic string will be introduced into the human line. Who knows how that may work out. Heh, you might even end up fathering yourself if you can understand that."

Yoko blanched and nodded. "Yer. Yuck, getting with my great, great, great, great… who knows how many great's grandmother." Yoko then paused. "But, if that was the case, if I didn't (this is so gross) get with this lady, might I never be born?"

Keitaro smiled. "That's the fun part. We would never know unless you do it. But think, when you weren't here, you were still born so it's pretty safe to say you won't have to get it on with your ancestors."

Yoko nodded and spat out the window. "Good. Now enough with this. I feel sick. The last possibility?"

Keitaro leaned back against the wall. "Well, if we have moved into a completely new, unplanned timeline, we can do whatever we like. The future is still yet to be planned so what ever you do is set in this past leaving the original timeline unchanged."

Yoko nodded but then he looked up questioningly. "But, say you use your 8th sense. You can travel both forward and backward in time. Say you travel forward in time, won't that mean that the future is already set?"

Keitaro frowned. "Well, if it is one of the first two options, yes. But if it was the last one, if I were to travel forward in time from this instant, I will see what the future would hold from the decisions made at this very instant. But say I wait a second and do something entirely different to what I saw in the future, I could go into the future and find a completely different reality to what I first saw. That means that the future is yet to be set and anything can happen."

Yoko looked up in bewilderment. "Woah…that's a lot to think about…so why don't you try your theory?"

Keitaro just smiled. "Well, I might have already done it and just didn't bring you. You wouldn't know any different. Or, perhaps I just want to wait and see? Who knows. There is an unlimited amount of questions that each have an unlimited amount of responses."

Yoko sat back, utterly lost. "I…guess so…but what use would it do for you and only you to know the new future?"

Keitaro laughed. "Like I said, this may not be a new timeline. For all you know it may still be one of the other two. Anyway, its nearly time for the fight. Best we get going."

Keitaro turned and walked out the door humming happily. Yoko sat on the floor, head throbbing.

"So many possibilities from any of the three options for all I…wait, for all I know? KEITARO, HOLD UP JUST ONE SECOND!!!!"

------

The two rivals stood a distance apart. All the girls along with Yoko sat on the tiles, waiting for the match to begin. The onlookers made no noise as they waited. A soft wind washed over all of them, seemingly charged with the energy flowing between the two fighters. Everyone waited as the tension built. A seemingly innocent leaf floated into view, more or less unnoticed by the spectators. It flipped and twirled a few times before landing gently upon the ground. The instant it touched down, both Motoko and Keitaro disappeared.

"Wha…WHAT?"

All the girls looked around in confusion, trying to find the location of the missing fighters. The sound of metal on metal sounded out from all around them. Frowning, Naru stood up for a better view.

"Where the hell did they go…"

She fell back with a scream of surprise as a flickering image of Motoko and Keitaro flashed just in front of her, their swords locked in combat. And then it was gone, replaced by the clinging of swords.

------

Keitaro jumped around another sideways slash, spinning 360 degrees and parrying another attack. He looked into Motoko's furious eyes and grinned.

'I'm getting to her. I guess she hasn't fought someone like me in a while.'

Brining his blade up, he caught Motoko's and they paused for a few seconds before pushing each other back. They both sailed high before landing softly at either ends of the roof. Keitaro righted himself and looked over at the crowd. He sweat dropped as all of them had their mouths wide open and their eyes practically bulged from their heads.

"H-hello? Guys? You ok?"

Kitsune looked at him quizzically. "Are we ok? Sugar, we should ask you that. Look at you. Not a breath missed, not a drop of sweat, not even a damn hair out of place! But if you look at Motoko, the girls panting like a dog and looks like she has a pool sitting under each armpit. Now last time I knew, you were a weak, no hope, love struck ronin. Yet here you are taking on a master swordswoman and kicking her ass. What gives?"

"Huh?"

After giving the intelligent response, Keitaro looked over at Motoko and stifled a laugh. The girl was breathing deeply, legs wide open in a sloppy stance and sword tip drooping. Keitaro dropped his sword to one hand and stood up straight.

'Are you being serious? I thought she was much further along in her abilities. Sure she has incredible skill but just now, I wasn't even pushed. Perhaps I could just make it look like its hard for me. Hah, that will be hard on its own. She is no threat to me what so ever. What a shame.'

At the other end of the field, Motoko was scathing. 'How is it that the male has become so strong? At least when I versed sister, I had her breathing harder. But against Urashima, there is nothing to say he has even had to raise his strength against me. What training has he undertaken? Is such a sharp incline in his abilities even possible? No. Such rapid increase in skill and ability is supernatural. It must be the work of a demon.'

Standing straight, Motoko shouted across the ground. "URASHIMA! Such increase in your skill is beyond what normal humans could ever hope to achieve. Upon that I have deduced that you must be under the possession of an incredibly powerful demon! Stay put so I may cleanse your perverse soul!"

Hearing Motoko call him far advanced from a 'normal human', Keitaro dropped his head in anguish. "If only I was normal. I would much rather be target practice for a day and die than be as I am now. If only I was normal. If only I was human…"

"**SHINMEIYRUU OUGI****…****ZANMAKEN NI-NO-TACHI!!!!!****"**

A massive blast of supercharged wind hurtled towards Keitaro. Looking up, he saw it near him. He sighed. 'I wish it really was just a demon and not this cursed immortality gene. Then I could be cured and finally fall asleep.'

As he thought this, the incredible wind smashed into Keitaro's unmoving form. His chest was pushed back slightly as the energy began to pass through his form. Then he was cloaked in a whirl of dust, obscuring him from everyone's view. Motoko landed heavily, panting as she watched the swirling dust before her. She allowed a small smirk onto her face as she saw no movement in the air born dirt.

'I have succeeded. Urashima is now purged of all impurities and is now back to his normal, weak self.'

Standing, the samurai sheathed her sword and took a few breaths. Turning, she calmly began making her way to the stairwell. She ignored all the looks she received from the others, determined to hold her composure. Reaching the handrail, she held it and paused.

"See to it that the male is ok. The attack should have passed directly through him, leaving him unharmed. But when the demon was separated from Urashima, it probably clung onto his soul as it was pulled from him, rendering him unconscious."

A voice replied to the samurais directions. And it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Sorry Motoko. I could only wish that you had just cleaned me of whatever it was. But unfortunately, that strength is all mine and even if I told you how I obtained it, you would never believe me."

Spinning around, Motoko had her sword drawn, eyes blazing.

"You cannot still be standing after that. Impossible as it was though, this next attack should properly defeat you!"

Screaming a battle cry, Motoko charged. Keitaro watched her come in tiredly. Her speed and agility were incredibly advanced, but when compared to what she faced, she might have well been walking. Dropping his sword, Keitaro watched Motoko thrust forward. Leaning back, he let the blade pass harmlessly in front of his face. He ducked under each successive slice, moving back slowly as the attacks became slowly more sloppy and unfocused. A knee came up to meet his stomach but met air.

'This is it. Either he falls now or never.'

Motoko spun around, blade following her path. Keitaro watched it come in.

'Perhaps this may be the one to kill me…'

A deep laceration opened up along Keitaro's stomach. He grimaced in pain as he felt the sharp cool blade open his skin up, revealing bloodied muscle to the air. And then it was healed, no mark left to show of the deep wound that had just been inflicted. He watched Motoko follow through, a brief cry of effort stealing itself from her lips. Soon the energy of the attack had Motoko facing her back to him. Keitaro sighed and reached out.

'Might as well let her know not to attack so viciously.'

Balling his hand into a fist, he waited until a firm part of her body came into range. In a quick snapping motion, Keitaro smacked his fist into Motoko's back. A sharp crack echoed out and Motoko was hurled across the roof, hitting the far wall and smashing right through it. Keitaro was left with his fist out, looking after Motoko in shock.

"Wha…what? My punch hardly hit her from an inch away!"

While he watched on in disbelief, all the girls had run over to see their fallen friend. Yoko ran up to Keitaro and tapped him on the shoulder. Keitaro looked up numbly.

"Holy…think you over did it a bit much there?"

Keitaro stood up straight and looked over to the hole and noise.

"But I hardly hit her…I made sure to use none of my body weight…or even any arm weight behind that hit…hell, it was just like knocking on a door…and yet there she is sent flying…"

Yoko patted his back and pointed at the hole. "Well, it happened and there's the end result. Think you should check on her?"

Keitaro blinked a few times. "Yea…yea come on! I could have hurt her!"

Not waiting for Yoko, Keitaro ran over to the hole and peered in. Yoko laughed as a fist came out of nowhere and knocked him back a few paces.

"DON'T EVER COME NEAR MOTOKO-CHAN EVER AGAIN!!"

Yoko sighed when he heard that voice. For some weird reason, he seemed to have this aversion against the honey-haired girl even though he had no solid proof to base his feelings on. Walking over to his friend, Yoko pulled Keitaro into a sitting position.

"You know, you could get into a fight with her if you want…you know, show her that beating the kendo chick wasn't a fluke."

Keitaro shook his head. "If I fought her she would probably die. The only reason Motoko-chan isn't dead is because of all her training."

Yoko looked over at the hole and nodded. "Yeah, guess so. I know I wouldn't be able to do much after that."

They sat there for a few minutes as the girls tried to rouse the swordswoman. After a while, Keitaro saw the girls fall back in relief. Motoko had sat up, looking really groggy but alive. She said a few things to which the other girls disagreed but were then silenced when Motoko shouted at them.

"It does not matter that I was beaten! Now, help me up."

Complying uneasily, Naru and Kitsune lifted the girl. She stood still for a few seconds to gather her bearings. Looking up, she took a step forward and stumbled.

"MOTOKO!"

Rushing forward, Naru and Kitsune caught her just before she face planted. Struggling to keep her standing, Naru looked into her face.

"Motoko-chan, please! You are in no state to be walking! Come with us, we'll put you to bed."

Motoko shook her head. "No. I must do this. Once that has been completed then you may take me away."

Pushing the others away, Motoko made her way slowly towards Yoko and Keitaro. Though she was bleeding and bruised, her eyes flashed as brightly as ever. Finally reaching the two of them, she held out a hand to Keitaro. He stared at it unsurely.

"It was a good duel. As a samurai, I must thankyou for accepting my challenge. I was defeated fairly without any deceitful advantages. I can only hope to fight you again when I have become stronger."

Keitaro looked up into Motoko's eyes. They flashed with a mixture of anger and humiliation. But Keitaro saw a new emotion in those eyes. It was respect. Taking up the offered hand, Keitaro smiled.

"It was a fine fight. Nothing more can be said about it."

And then Motoko did something Keitaro never expected. She smiled. Though brief, Keitaro clearly saw it. And then it was gone as unconsciousness over took the battered girls mind.

---------

A/N - So how was it? I'm rather pleased with how it all turned out. Anyway, see you in the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

In answer to the review pointing out the problem with the suns size, I already know that, it's just I forgot to put that in :P Good on you for picking it up though shows you know your stuff.

I own diddily squat

**Chapter 11**

"PERVERT!"

A loud scream echoed out and Yoko rounded the corner at a million miles an hour with an irate Naru powering after him. Still new to the house, Yoko had accidentally walked in on Naru as she was changing. And dew to the nature of the hotel, Yoko found himself cornered in a dead end. Turning to face his attacker, he turned sheet white.

"You are going to get it now hentai!"

"BUT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I WAS, I WAS ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS!!"

The desperate plea fell on deaf ears as usual and the girl continued her march forward. Yoko shook as he backed up.

'This is it…'

And then he disappeared.

"…"

Naru shook her head and looked at the spot again. Yep, Yoko had gone. Still wondering about what happened, she moved over to where he had been standing. Nothing unusual there.

"Maybe Keitaro taught him something to get away from us when they need to be taught a lesson. I'll have a talk with him."

With this new found purpose, Naru stalked away to find her new target.

Meanwhile, Yoko was looking around in surprise at the small tunnel he had just dropped into.

"What the hell?"

---------

Keitaro wandered around with his mop and bucket. He had just finished cleaning floors one and two, and now all he had left was floor three and the baths. Reaching the top, he sighed, dropped the bucket and began scrubbing.

'Was it always like this? I sure can't remember it being this dictatorship like.'

As he moved on, he saw a small girl in the corner of his eye.

"Oh, Shinobu, how are you? What's up?"

The timid teen looked up at her crush longingly before coming back to reality. "Oh, yes. I'm ok thank you senpai. Anyway, I was wondering if you could come with me? I-it's nothing important so if you can't come that's ok. It seems you are busy so I'll just go now I'm sorry for disturbing you!"

Turning quickly she began to dash away but a strong hand on her shoulder stopped her. Looking over her shoulder she saw the deep brown caring eyes of her beloved.

'He is so handsome…'

"Shinobu. There is nothing I am doing that is more important than helping anyone of you girls out. I can come with you, the floors can wait."

Nodding once, Shinobu looked up in thanks and began walking. Keitaro sighed at how obvious her crush was.

'I can't believe I was so dense that I didn't notice this! She's practically radiating her feelings.'

Following, Keitaro began his trek. Their path led them in winding circles, sometimes doubling over themselves down the corridors. Keitaro thought it odd and rather cute that Shinobu would do this and was about to say something when he stopped. An echoing click sounded out and before he could react, a multitude of straps and buckles shot out and had him strapped to a hospital like bed in under a second. As soon as it had happened Kaolla jumped out from some hidey hole and began dancing around an incredibly guilty looking Shinobu.

"YAY YOU DID IT SHINOMU! Now, to get Keitaros into my room for testing! I wanna find out how you kicked Motoko's ass so good back then!"

As the table was wheeled Keitaro briefly managed a "Don't say words like that Su!" before he disappeared into the young genius' room.

------

Inside the scary room, Keitaro was lying very still, eyes flicking around as hundreds of tubes and other tortuous items poked out from him. Shinobu stood in the corner, tears freely streaming from her eyes as she thought of how much Keitaro would hate her after all this. And the mastermind behind the whole operation stood at a large desk filled with buttons, leavers, wheels and screens. Looking excitedly around, she gave Keitaro a winning smile before positioning her finger over a dangerous looking button.

"Operation Find-out-how-weak-Keitaro-kicked-Motoko's-ass, BEGIN!"

Pressing down on the knob, every tube attached to Keitaro instantly lit up and the queerest sensation filled the boy. It was like millions of fingers all appeared inside him and were wriggling around. Unpleasant, definitely but for once, unpainful.

Up at the master board, Kaolla grinned evilly as she slapped her goggles over her eyes.

'Now to find the source of his strength!'

Quickly running her fingers over a whole sequence of buttons, a graphical 3D Keitaro popped up on the main screen, his vitals and brain waves all shown in the bottom left hand corner. When all the data had finished uploading, Su gasped in excited surprise and began tapping away at different keys. Keitaro squeaked and began wriggling around, clearly uncomfortable with the sensation he was going through. Shinobu noticed this and ran up beside her young friend.

"S-Su! Are you sure Keitaro will be ok? I mean…look at him. He isn't looking very happy and I don't want senpai mad at us!"

Su just laughed and looked back down at the controls.

"Never fear Shinomu! Keitaro is currently radiating a central energy rating of over Two Hundred Thousand! A quick reference for that would be Motoko's and she is only running at maybe Four Thousand quoters, and that's when she's _really_ pissed! Keitaro is off the chart and is at rest! I can only guess what the count would increase to in a fight! No matter what I put him through here would hurt him, even if I was to cut his arm off!"

Shinobu paled significantly and Keitaro began thrashing more. "SU!!! Don't say such things! Of course it would hurt! And where are you learning all those dirty words?"

Completely ignoring him, Kaolla stared intently at the screen. "Incredible…the count just increased to Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand, and all he did was get a slightly raised blood pressure! What can I do to get a better reaction…"

Looking around, Kaolla spied Shinobu looking fearfully at Keitaro. She grinned evilly and pushed a dark green button. Moments later, Shinobu found herself strapped to a table beside Keitaro.

"Hahahahaha!! Now Keitaro, lets see what you can do…"

Poking a little button, a small beep sounded out before hundreds of saws and other sharp looking cutting tools appeared above Shinobu. The young girl took one look at them and screamed shrilly.

"EIAAAAAAAAAAAAA SUUUUU STOP IT!!!"

Ignoring the cry, Kaolla took a glance at Keitaro. He was paralysed and staring at Shinobu in disbelief.

'Good…'

Looking down at the screen, Kaolla nearly dropped her pen when she saw his readings.

"My word…Quota count at Six Hundred Thousand, Five Hundred and climbing rapidly!"

A small flickering in the bottom corner of the screen captured her attention. The brain and vitals monitor was buzzing away urgently. Frowning, she changed the 3D Keitaro to a heat and Ki sensor along with bringing up his brain function. What she saw made her stumble backwards and trip over the chair.

"I-impossible! The Ki saturation normally stays to the centre of the torso…but Keitaro's is rapidly shifting to his entire body! His temperature has doubled and it looks like his muscles are all tripling up in fibres…no wonder he beat Motoko, at this rate he'll be able to pick up a truck without breaking a sweat!"

Glancing at the brain monitor, Kaolla's breath hitched.

"…What is happening here? Keitaro…what are you?"

Tapping away at a few more keys, a 3D mould of Keitaro's brain came up on screen, circling slowly and flashing in an array rainbow of colours.

'These parts of the brain shouldn't be working…humans only use 10 - 12 of their brain mass…what this is reading is Keitaro is currently using, quite effectively, 80 of his brain with more coming online! It's almost like he's telepathic…no, oh please no not that…'

Looking up at Keitaro, Su actually felt a pang of fear shoot through her chest. Keitaro hadn't moved but things around him were beginning to. The young mans eyes were dark and unseeing, not registering anything other than Shinobu struggling in front of him. Smaller jars and other light objects began lifting off the tables and shelfs. The larger objects were shaking violently and pins into walls were coming loose.

Glancing back down at the screen, Su quickly began tapping away at buttons and leavers. 'Oh Keitaro I'm so sorry! What have I done? It's like he's in the middle of one hell of a nightmare crossed over a horrible memory. Whatever he is seeing there isn't Shinobu…its something else in a dream. What is he seeing…oh I can find out later if he keeps up his growth the whole house will implode under Keitaro's telekinetic power!'

An alert began beeping and Su glanced up. Her eyes doubled in size. 'No way, Quota count One Million Sixty Three Thousand?!?! Does he even know he has this much strength?'

Looking over at Keitaro, Su gasped. Keitaro's clothing was flapping violently as a deep purple aura gripped his form tightly. Not one thing in the room was on the floor, save for himself and Shinobu. The speed of the aura increased, travelling up his form violently while sending out erratic flashes of excess energy in the form of lightning bolts. Anything that was hit lit up brighter than the sun for a split second before twisting itself away in a dreamlike thrash, leaving it charred and broken.

Getting back to the task at hand, Kaolla spared a quick glance at Keitaro's brain monitor. 'Complete brain function. 100 usage. Keitaro, please stop, I'm sorry! Oh, how am I gona fix this?'

By now the normally white lights in the young geniuses room were an unearthly purple and flashing on and off rapidly. With every strobe like flash, more and more objects lifted into the air. It slowly began to circle over the two beds ominously, Ki sparks shooting up the middle of the tube.

'It's now or never. I sware that after this I am NEVER provoking Keitaro again! Please may this work…'

Hitting one final button, she looked up. Everything began to slow down. After another half orbit, the objects stopped. And then they began vibrating. Only a small movement at first but then harder and harder till everything was quaking so fast they were but a blur in the air.

'This is it. I hope everyone can forgive me in the next life…'

Keitaro's head twitched. It flicked so for the first time, he was looking up at the ceiling. His unseeing eyes were completely black and his entire face seemed to sink slightly. Shinobu had long since passed out so she was spared this final ordeal. Opening his mouth, Keitaro let loose a long echoing note. It's eerie double voice filled the room with its noise, sending wave after wave of fear down Kaolla's spine. It filled every nook, every cranny, every tiny crack in the room with its voice until it abruptly cut out. Keitaro's aura began flickering and thrashing, circling around his body violently. Everything in the air was circling in to a single point, tables and chairs being crushed under the pressure. The newly formed sphere began rotating on its axis at an incredible speed, always growing smaller and smaller. When it reached about the size of an egg, it stopped. Keitaro clenched up in a ball, all the restraints breaking away like wet paper. In one final brief cry, Keitaro's aura exploded away from him, cracking the walls and bending support beams. The tiny ball that was once most of Kaolla's room shook once before dropping to the floor. It hit the ground and floorboards all around it splintered as it created a little crater in the middle of the foreigners room. Letting out a massive breath, Keitaro's body relaxed and the destruction ended as the boy passed out. Sitting in the corner of her room, Kaolla looked up from where she had been cowering.

'N-n-never again. K-Keitaro may be physically unfathomably strong, but mentally, h-he is completely unstable…oh what did I cause to wake up…oh Keitaro…'

A tear slipped down the girls face as the rest of the house along with Haruka exploded in through her door.

---------

Sighing, Keitaro cracked open an eye. The afternoon sun shone through the window giving the room a warm golden glow. Easing himself up on his elbows, Keitaro looked at the clock.

5:12pm

Stretching, Keitaro stood up. Letting a shiver out, he made his way to the door. Opening it, he walked out. Wandering down the hall, Keitaro noticed how quiet it was. He couldn't hear Sarah or Su rampaging through the house like normal. He couldn't smell any of Shinobu's cooking and there wasn't any soft thuds of Motoko training on the roof. Frowning, he walked down the stairs and looked around. Still no one. Walking outside, he looked out over the city. From this hight, he had a clean view of most of the town. Normally at this time it should be filled with little children running around happily at the end of the day while the adults made their way home after a good days work. But now…now there was no one. The streets were deserted. Not a soul could be seen anywhere. Keitaro began to walk down the stairs but a sound around behind the inn caused him to stop. An odd chattering was coming from the walkway on the far side. Moving around cautiously, Keitaro looked for any shadows. From the direction the deep yellow light was coming in from, anyone who was standing behind the house would have cast a shadow all the way to the trees. But there was nothing even though the chattering continued. Looking around the corner Keitaro saw nothing. Moving around slowly, he took a few steps in. Just when he reached the path, the noise stopped. Now really worried, Keitaro looked into the trees.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

A noise above him caused him to look up. And a dog like apparition dropped onto his head with a scream.

-------

"GAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

With a mighty intake of breath Keitaro sat up sweating violently. He quickly moved his hands to his face, making sure that there weren't any lacerations from the wolves teeth. Lowering his hands slowly he looked around. Naru was lying on a small futon in the corner. Looking around, he saw that the rest of the house was there. Even Haruka.

'What's going on…'

Standing up, he carefully made his way over the sleeping bodies. Easing himself out the door, he slid it silently closed. As he turned, a hand slapped down solidly on his shoulder causing him to jump a couple of feet into the air. Whipping around to face his assailant, he found Yoko looking at him in a mix of fear, anger and worry.

"Dude, you have a lot to explain."

Keitaro looked at him queerly. "For what? All I know is that I just woke up. And before that I was…I was…I…don't remember…"

Yoko spun Keitaro around 180 degrees and began pushing him towards the stairs. "Well let me help you remember if I can. Because from what I heard you nearly vaporised the building."

Keitaro looked over his shoulder in disbelief. "WHAT??"

--------

A/N - There you go people. I'm sorry for taking so long but my life has been hell hectic as of late so there has been many hold ups. I know I cut it off short but I might as well give you something to read so there you go. Until the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Things sure are moving along! I remember writing the first chapter just those few months ago. Ha, time flies when your having fun! By the way, thanks for all the reviews! Especially the ones that suggest things. I know how the story will end but everything in the middle is completely unplanned so if you have anything pressing that you would like me to consider, feel free to PM me. :)

Anyway, I hope this chapter gives you something to think about. I'm sorry that I take so long, I just have alot to think about. Life kinda sucks at the moment but things are only going to get better from here. :) My apologies to everyone.

By the way, for everyone who has said that I need to change my views on evolution, I'm sorry but that isn't going to happen. Just so you know, I studied evolution for 2 years during school, Grade 11 and 12 if you really want to know. And I will also have you know that every lesson. EVERY LESSON I found something flawed about this theory. You can choose to believe this myth, I don't mind. But please leave me alone when I stand for something I believe in. I am in no way ignorant of what I am criticising so please get your facts straight before telling everyone just how 'uninformed' I am.

_**-NOTE**_- Just as a bit of a warning this chapter is a bit graphic. It may not effect you in the least but I'm just letting you know that things get a little depressing near the end. If you don't mind, continue reading by all means.

I own nothing

**Chapter 12**

Keitaro sat on the couch with Yoko facing him in a chair stolen from the kitchen. Yoko sat studying his friends face for what seemed like forever. Eventually, Keitaro got fed up with waiting.

"What?"

Yoko said nothing and continued to stare.

"What did I do? There's no way I could have destroyed the house! Such energy required would have to be phenomenal!"

Yoko still said nothing.

"Yoko?"

Finally making a movement, Yoko sat back. "Have you ever unleashed your full potential?"

Reverting back to his not-quite-so-sharp-years, Keitaro looked at him oddly.

"Huh?"

Yoko lent forward while snapping his fingers. "You know, your strength, telepathic abilities, 6th and 7th senses, anything like that! Have you ever tried to max out just what you can do?"

Finally understanding what was being asked, Keitaro lent back in thought. "Uhh…no, no I have never really pushed the limits of what I've learnt. Only really done basic training to keep my skills up. Nothing to hectic."

"Has anyone ever seen you train?"

Keitaro shook his head. "Nope. Always kept my routines a secret. Just helped with keeping my immortality quiet too."

Yoko stood up. Reaching out, he extended his hand to Keitaro. He took it and Yoko pulled him up.

"Please come with me. Motoko-chan and myself would like to see this training of yours. We're both curious as to just what kind of training you do."

Keitaro shrugged. "Ok. If you must, though you probably wont be too impressed by anything."

Walking to the stairs, Keitaro made his way to his room to change. Yoko watched him leave with a small frown on his face.

'He's said stuff like that before and its always been WAY underrated. Lets hope he doesn't blow something up.'

-----

About ten minutes later, Keitaro stood in the middle of the roof with Motoko and Yoko both watching from the roof beside. He looked at the two in an uninterested way.

Motoko glared at him icily and spoke slowly. "Urashima. You defeated me easily before in our little match. I would like to watch one of your training sessions to gain a better understanding of just what you have done to reach your level. Now start."

Keitaro shrugged and held his fists out in front of him in a relaxed manner. "You aren't going to see anything fancy. This one only goes for five minutes."

Easing himself into a slow rolling walk, he began to gently punch the air. Multiple combos easily sailed through the air, fists slowly doubling and tripling in number from the speed. Stopping, he stepped back with a powerful elbow thrust and paused for a second, letting his energy fill him.

"Ahhh that feels good…haven't had a session like this in a long while."

Spinning gracefully, Keitaro began rocking into faster and faster combos. The whole time he only used his fists and elbows as his weapons, slicing and punching through the air with ever increasing speed. With every passing moment he felt more and more of his latent energy flow into his arms and legs, his weight seemingly disappearing.

'This is too good an opportunity to pass up. I need to get some leg exercises happening. I just hope the air doesn't whistle like normal…'

Stopping, he took a breath. Crouching, Keitaro tensed a second before jumping high in the air. As he sailed gracefully skywards, he arched his body so he started spinning a slow backflip. Opening his legs into a frontwards splits, he raised his arms 90degrees to his side. Arching his back, he kicked through with his back foot, the momentum of it throwing his body into a spinning, thrashing mess. Through his fall, hundreds of kicks and punches thundered out. But during the whole time, Keitaro had his eyes closed and he was completely relaxed. He didn't think, all he did was flow from one combination to the next, never fighting his energy, simply riding it. The pace at which his body travelled was completely dependent on how well he rode the feeling. And right now he was feeling better than he had in years.

'Ah this is fantastic. I really should do this more, it's so relaxing .'

Feeling more than seeing it, Keitaro extended every limb and slowed his rotation slightly. In that instant he hit the ground with a dull thud, dust riding from where his feet made contact with the roof. Standing up straight, he sighed and looked at the two spectators. He raised an eyebrow.

"What? Not what you expected?"

Motoko and Yoko sat absolutely gob smacked. The second Keitaro started his kata, they new they were in for a show. Every movement was fluent and relaxed. It was more a dance than a training session as every move linked smoothly into the next. There were no sudden jolts, everything looked like it couldn't have worked any better than how it did. When Keitaro began to involve his legs as well, that's when their jaws began to drop. The speed that everything was moving at was phenomenal. Yoko had long since lost Keitaro's fists and kicks in a blur of movement. Motoko, with all her training, was able to see what was happening, but only just. Her subconscious fear was also growing as she read his energy.

'I…it just keeps growing. Such a consistent and rapid increase in power shouldn't be possible…where does he store his strength? I can hide up to 10 of my strength, but Keitaro has already increased his power one hundred fold! And it still climbs! What has he been doing to acquire such strength…'

When Keitaro took to the sky, that's when both onlookers lost the ability to see what was happening. All that could be made out was Keitaro stretching into a perfect splits before propelling himself into a chaotic spin. Then twenty or so fists and kicks at any one time sprouted from the spiralling manager as be began his fall back to earth. The whistling of the attacks through the air only accentuated the impossibility of it all. Finally, in a loud crack Keitaro stretched from the ball for a brief second before hitting the roof. Hard. Their seats shook when he landed and a couple of cracks snaked their way away from Keitaro's point of impact. He then looked up at them in a state of mild surprise. Motoko was staring at him in a complete state of shock, her hand unconsciously clenching and unclenching on the hilt of her sword. Yoko sat, mouth moving but no words coming out.

"Guys?"

Walking over, Keitaro got close enough to touch them before either of them reacted. He reached out a hand but Motoko's fist quickly encased it. She gripped it firmly and pulled him down.

"We need to talk. NOW."

Grabbing the still unresponsive Yoko by a leg, she began dragging/leading the two of them towards the exit.

-------

Again for the second time in the space of Thirty minutes, Keitaro found himself the subject of unwanted attention. Yoko had yet to come back from shock, a few bumps on his head and back from where Motoko dragged him across the stairs. But Motoko had recovered and was giving the man under scrutiny one of her glares that had earned her the nickname 'Dragon demon' at school. Naturally, she didn't know this.

"Urashima, explain yourself!"

Keitaro shrunk even further under the intensity of the gaze. "What? I don't even know what I need to explain!"

Motoko threw her hands in the air. "EVERYTHING! EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!! The fact you brought this friend we have never heard of home, your new perceptiveness, your incredible increase in power, EVERYTHING! What did you do to acquire such strength?"

Keitaro fidgeted around a bit trying to come up with an excuse. "Uh, I duno ever since that fight with your sister over the wedding thing I decided to take up martial arts."

"Uhh…" Yoko came to with a grunt. Looking from one to the other, he realised why they were here. Seeing the very scary samurai glaring at Keitaro, he decided to pretend he was still out of it for the time being.

Motoko leaned in, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Keitaro…don't make me angry now…"

"EEP!"

Hearing Motoko actually use his name really scared the stuffing out of the boy, even if he was many times stronger than the girl before him. Looking at her, he quickly calculated the possibility of telling her everything. 'There is a chance she may accept…'

"Urashima…I do not know why but I feel compelled to give you some time as to answer my question. I do not understand why this is so as it has never happened before. But none the less, I will give you some time. But as a precaution, I am calling my sister. You have been warned. Think of your answer carefully. You have one week."

Standing in a huff, the swordswoman turned and stormed out of the room, unsure as to weather she was more angry at Urashima for lying to her, or herself for giving him such a long period of time to think up his answer. Keitaro watched her go before looking back at the very still Yoko.

"You ok?"

Yoko nodded and released a long held breath. "Yea, I'm fine. I just didn't wanna capture the attention of our local punisher there. Anyway, forget about what she said, I need to tell you about what the young foreign girl said."

Keitaro cocked his head. "Kaolla-kun? What'd she say? What does she know?"

Yoko took a breath and began. "Keitaro, I think she knows everything. Or at least a large part of it. You said you can't remember what happened from before you fell asleep. Well here is her version of the story. She was enthralled by your new strength and found it impossible to forget it. So she got Shinobu to lead you around the top floor in a certain way that activated one of her traps. You were caught and wheeled into her room for examination."

Keitaro's eyes widened when he heard this. "Hey, I remember that! And I went into her room and…and I can't remember…"

Yoko nodded. "She said this may happen. If I told you what happened you'll remember the story as I tell it. Anyway, once you were in there, she hooked up these leads n stuff to you in order to calculate your power. She said that a persons power is stored deep within their chest, ready for use whenever it is called upon. That is why Motoko never really questioned you. She couldn't feel your strength. But Kaolla, with all her computers, can tap deep into you and measure your power count. You have a count of Two Hundred Thousand! At rest!! Her comparison against Motoko was unbelievable. Motoko's power count at very best has never registered more than Six Thousand, man! She then just had to mention something about cutting your arm off and your count jumped to Two Hundred Thousand, Five Hundred!"

Keitaro got a cold sweat. "And so I'm guessing that sparked her interest and she tried something?

Yoko nodded unhappily. "Yea. She strapped Shinobu down and threatened her by using plastic knives and drills to scare the both of you…Keitaro?"

Yoko's voice had dulled to a soft murmuring in the recesses of Keitaro's mind. All that he could see and feel was the girl in front of him screaming and thrashing as the weapons came down. Dark flashes of what seemed like anti light illuminated the room from unknown directions for only a split second. The flickering acted like an immense strobe light, every flash capturing the moment in time for a split second before it disappeared back into black. Watching on helplessly, Keitaro tried shouting to her to save her but no sound came. Summoning every ounce of telepathic ability, he tried flinging anything he could see at the massive saws and drills in a hope to dismantle them. But no matter what he threw he always fell short by a few metres, never any more or less. In one last desperate attempt, Keitaro gathered together both his 6th and 7th senses and began charging them. He didn't know what he could do but he hoped that it would help…

--CRACK!!--

Yoko stood above the fallen Keitaro, fist dripping blood and panting heavily. Fear poured from his eyes as he looked at his friends body. Seeing him twitch, Yoko raised another fist in preparation. An eye flickered and looked up at him. Seeing his friend preparing to hit him, Keitaro rolled over, hands up.

"What's up!?! What? What's wrong?"

Yoko lowered his fist and looked at him carefully. "You back?"

Keitaro nodded slowly. "Yes. Now, tell me what's going on."

Yoko stood back and spread his arms. "Look around and you tell me."

Looking away from Yoko, Keitaro finally had the chance to have a look at the room. What he saw paled his completion significantly. Everything was in a warped mess. Every single object was twisted into the most bizarre shapes imaginable. Some in even more mind-blowing postures. The walls seemed to bow inwards but the objects standing against them arched away, back into the walls but never touching them. The ceiling was tiny in places, seemingly miles and miles away. But in others it was so hugely magnified that Keitaro could see the crystals that made up the paint. The floor was bowed and twisted, in places looking like it had been wrenched upside down. The corners were more like spheres that moulded into the floor. Just looking at its impossibility made Keitaro feel sick.

As his eyes covered more of the impossibilities, Keitaro had to sit down. He missed the couch dew to it looking so small and landed on a spot of floor that looked like it had razer edges spiking up from its surface.

"I did all this?"

Yoko nodded. His eyes were covered with a hand so he didn't hurt his mind by looking at the incomprehensible things of the lounge room. "Yep. You did it all. As soon as I said that Shinobu had plastic toys jabbed in her direction, you went all spooky dead eyes. The room started warping around you. I was actually getting pulled in with it! When I got close enough to you I smashed you in the face. I duno Keitaro but what the little dark skinned girl said seems true about you."

Keitaro waited for him to finish. When he didn't say anything more, Keitaro sighed. "Well? What did she say?"

Yoko sat on the floor and looked his friend in the eyes. "She said that you are incredibly powerful. She also believes you do not realise just how far your strength extends. She also believes that you are completely unstable. Mentally unstable. What she did to you was cruel but it uncovered the fact that certain things can trigger, what she likes to call it, a flashback. I don't know if she knows about you being like a hundred billion years or what ever old, but she sure knows that you have seen some horrible things."

Keitaro nodded grimly. "I have seen some disturbing things in my life. I can remember what I saw this

time anyway. It was one of my last best friends before I met you. It was about…One Hundred and Fifty Thousand years before you were born. Her name was Sarah. I had been uncovered and she was the only one of my friends that stayed with me. When we were finally captured, they tried to experiment on me. Just like ever single dam time before. When they realised I healed up too fast for them to actually do any damage, they began to play with my mind. This was a new idea that had recently been proven. When a person was put under phenomenal emotional stress, coupled with a new 'blue-x-ray', people could be mutated into incredible fighting machines that were controlled by visual prompts. So guess who they decided to try this on."

Yoko gulped. "You?"

Keitaro nodded. " The blue-x-ray was a liquid form of light. Very powerful and _highly_ unstable. In all the years they had been working with it they had only managed to tank about twenty bottles of the stuff. All the other attempts had ended up with the tanks exploding and the scientists being doused in the stuff. I never saw what happened but from what I heard it altered their DNA to triple strand. That means that every feature they had was tripled. Three heads, 6 arms and legs…every single part of them right down to the atom of their cells was tripled. Naturally it caused them extreme pain and suffering. The other scientists were thrilled about this and gladly experimented on them. Finally, one day a scientist watched his wife explode along with the bottles they were working on. As he was covered in the liquid, the other scientists watched in amazement as he actually grew in size and power till he was a 9' 11" monster. They captured him and gave him the 'work over' as they liked to call it. Just think of anything related to torture and you have the right idea. Anyway, they discovered that with the right visual prompts, they could control him. They also brought in homeless children…they actually experimented on children!! Can you believe just how inhuman that is?!? Anyway, they experimented on them and after a few guesses, they realised that if they could cause a person extreme grief and emotional pain, the blue-x-ray altered the person in an evolution like mutation. With everything controlled, the mutation triple every attribute of the person. So hight, weight, strength, loyalty, disobedience, intelligence…everything was tripled. So this left them with the problem of how to control these new superhumen. So before every new test, the subject was put under hypnosis and given visual prompts that they acted on. The blue-x-ray was then injected into the person through a syringe as they were shown incredibly graphic images of their parents being killed. Or something like that. These scientists I am talking about were more monster than human in their thinking. Nothing was too much. Anything was acceptable. They then lobotomised the poor soul just after they transformed. They were weakest then, having spent nearly their lives energy in surviving the transformation. Most were experimented on and all the scientists could come to the conclusion was that they were useless to them. Sure, they found a few interesting things but as a whole, they were nothing but a mess in the next room. They then offered any of them that had survived to the army for a very generous amount. After seeing what these creatures could do, they gladly handed over the money. And then finally, they were sent into battle. They completely obliterated anything they came in touch with. They felt no pain and saw nothing but the images of their prompts. When the battle was won, they were turned off by another prompt and turned back into vegetables. I learnt all about this later. After I escaped."

Yoko sat absolutely flabbergasted. "People actually do these kind of things??? What happened to you?"

Keitaro grimaced and continued. "This is really hard for me but I need to get it out. I have been holding this too long and it is taking its toll. Go and grab Kaolla. She needs to hear it."

Yoko nodded and raced away. Keitaro sighed and leant back against the visually sickening wall.

"I hate my life. I just wish it would end."

The sound of footsteps racing towards him made Keitaro look up the stairs. Su and Yoko both rounded the corner and bounded down them taking 8 at a time. Skidding to a halt in front of Keitaro, they sat down. Keitaro noticed Kaolla was shaking and had a few tears in her eyes. Smiling his usual, all inclusive smile, he rubbed her head.

"Don't worry! I forgive you. I really need to get this out. It may also give you answers that you want."

Kaolla smiled shyly and wiped her eyes. "Thank you Keitaros. Just that now answers my theory that you can read my thoughts. I'll ask you about it later, yes?"

Keitaro laughed. "Yes, that would be fine."

The observant girl looked around. "And the room too?"

Keitaro smiled again and nodded. "Yep, that too."

The smile then dropped from his face as he began. "Please understand that this is very painful for me. If I'm going to get it all out your going to have to store up all your questions for the end. Ok?"

They both nodded.

Sighing, Keitaro looked at his feet. "Let us begin then."

"When I was captured, the scientists thought I was the most remarkable human they had ever lain eyes on. Its probably true but I really don't want that title. Anyway, they tried all their tests n stuff on me but to no avail. My immortality gene always kicked in and thankfully I always healed before they could do any real damage. It still hurt incredibly though. Like I said, those sadistic freaks did nothing to dull the pain of what they were doing. In fact they actually encouraged it so they could see the reactions and chemicals my brain produced."

Keitaro looked away sadly when he heard the two young people before him gasp. A silent tear trickled down his cheek but never made it to his chin as it was quickly wiped away.

"After what seemed like weeks, they eventually grew bored of causing me intolerable pain. So they set to seeing what they could do to my mind. They had my best friend Sarah in a containment cell for the duration of my torture. She was the last of my friends who stood by me. When they brought her out to the table beside me, I had never seen someone so wretched! Her clothes were all torn and revealing a whole lot more than what she would have liked…if she had even been conscious. She was covered in cuts, scratches and bruises. I swear she even had a few chunks out of her toes that looked like the rats had been to them. Her hair had once been beautiful, long, flowing and black, but now it was a ripped, split ended, abused mess. When they dumped her on the table, the shock of the cold and the jolt woke her up. She looked at me and the very faintest of smiles graced her parched lips. Then she whispered something. It was so faint that I nearly missed it. Thankfully I did hear it and I will treasure it forever. She said, 'I'm glad your ok. I prayed you would be ok. And look at you. Not a scratch or bruise anywhere. I am so thankful that I met you Keitaro. I know I never told you this but I need to tell you this because it may be the last chance I get. I love you Keitaro. I love you with all my heart. I treasured every single moment I ever spent with you. You are the only person to ever show me genuine kindness.' They then took her over to a bed in the room adjacent. Between us was a massive glass wall, bullet, plasma and pulse proof. Just before they closed the door, I…I just managed to hear her say…"

Keitaro paused to wipe his eyes and sniffed. Rearranging his glasses he continued.

"I just managed to hear her say, 'Good bye Keitaro. I love you.'. And then she was gone. I watched as they strapped her down. I saw her screaming when they strapped her head down. I shouted and screamed at them to stop but it just seemed to excite them. They hurt her more to see my reactions. They tortured the poor girl until all she could do was lie there, tears streaking down her cheeks and convulse every time they did something else to her. I was going insane at them. Anyway, this is where things began, or so I think. They left the room and shut the door. They came to me and pushed these tubes into me. They forced syringes into my arms, six in each bicep. They then pushed these huge tubes into my arms, over the needles. They were far, FAR too big for what they needed but they did it anyway. That pain is something I never want anyone but the people that did it to me to feel. Anyway, at this point I was barely conscious from the pain. The next thing I know is they're out of the room and smiling gleefully at me. I looked over and then saw what I so vividly remember. They had massive saws and drills and knives positioned over her arms, legs and head. I saw them come down. I saw Sarah scream. Oh I swear that I heard the pain and fear in her voice as the first of the tortures started."

Keitaro's voice went into a dull emotionless monotone as he began recalling his worse memory ever.

"It was first the drills. They bored deep in through her arms and legs, pinning her to the table. Her legs and arms twisted out at horrid angles as the drills warped and broke her bones. They then moved onto the saws. They cut deep into her torso, thighs and biceps. The pain Sarah had to experience was of such immense proportions that I would have killed her myself there and then if it had saved her from such agony. And once that was finally done, they brought on the knives. I just cannot comprehend how these people could live with themselves knowing just how much they were destroying. As they began this last stage of mutilation, I felt the most intense burning in my arms. Looking down I saw that they had begun to inject me with the blue-x-ray. Oh the pain of it being directly unleashed into my veins sent me into a fury. Just before I completely lost it, I saw the knives trace all over Sarah's body. The cuts opened up all over her. Her dying eyes looked over at me one last time, pleading with me to help her. And then the last knife came down and separated her beautiful head from her body forever more. And then… then her eyes saw no more. It was at that time that the last bit of the blue-x-ray finished draining into my body. And I then felt a surge of energy I never new could be achieved. I can only remember a bit of what happened next but I do remember seeing everything explode. I'm guessing that whatever I saw and felt next became the prompt Kaolla-chan so unfortunately stumbled upon. When I came too, I was standing naked in a fire, but I felt nothing. I looked around to see what else was happening. And then I saw something that I am ashamed to say I liked. I actually revelled in it. I have never before this felt such impure pleasure as what I felt watching what I saw. The scientists were burning. And not just normal burning. The blue-x-ray somehow altered them as they burnt. Instead of just dying as normal people would have, they lived on. They watched as their molten skin dripped off them in clumps of burning flesh. They felt everything, but from their screams, I'm guessing that they felt it triple fold dew to the liquid light they were doused in. Any that came to close to me, I instantly decapitated. I took off their arms and legs. I left them lying in the fire screaming in such exquisite agony that I actually took to relishing their torture. I did everything I could to make their lives as intolerably painful as possible. Even as their eyes liquefied and ran out of their eye sockets in an odd bluish colour, I continued to find ways to make their lives a living hell. Finally, I had enough of forcing the gurgling screams from their mutilated throats. It seemed that the blue-x-ray had given them the ability to live through anything. They couldn't heal like me but they lived on. I then left them to their punishment of fire. I am shamed to say that still to this day I feel a deep, unhealthy satisfaction every time I remember their shrieks of pain. I then went over to Sarah and held what remained of her hand. Blood still dripped off it from tiny stubs that remained of her fingers. I couldn't get the memory of her pleading with me to help her out of my mind. It became obsessive…compulsive…my complete and utter and only focus. I began to feel the strength that flowed through me just moments before begin to return. It hurt so badly that I just had to get rid of it. It felt like all my Ki was increasing faster than my body could cope. I remember seeing everything begin to flash in a deep, deep blood red. And then I let it go. All my strength. All my sorrow. And all of my overpowering hatred I had ever felt for these merciless doctors came rushing out with a force that I thought would actually succeed in killing me. It was probably this reason that didn't try to stop it. I think I actually forced it out faster. I actually think I wanted it to kill me. And now, I wish that it did. I let it all out and I remember that as I did, everything was obliterated as some sort of energy ball rocket out from me. I had never seen or even heard of something like that happening before and I am still yet to do it again. After that, I have no knowledge of what happened. All that I remember next is waking up, completely alone and naked in the middle of a huge, burning, blackened desert. I never found out what happened to Sarah that day. And every day I wonder what I could have done to save her. Because after that day, I realised I loved her too."

An unearthly silence then replaced the soft murmur of Keitaro's emotionless voice.

---------------

A/N - Wow…depressing much? I didn't even know that I would end up writing it this graphically. It should answer the brooding moment Keitaro had back in chapter six, should anyone have remembered :P

I hope you enjoyed it and so, its goodbye until the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

Well time for number 13 now isn't it? You've all waited long enough so without anymore useless drivel, I give you the next chapter.

Just as a reader adviser, there is a slight hint towards incest in here. If that doesn't gross you out too much, then read on. You have been warned.

Just a reminder…

"one" - standard speech

"_two__"_ - telepathic speech

'three' - thought

I own nothing

**Chapter 13**

Shinobu was out taking an evening walk behind the dorms. She was still infatuated with the manager of the dorms and that was the only thing on her mind at the time. Recently she had found a strange new feeling accompanying the thoughts every time her mind wandered to her crush. It made her uncomfortable but it wasn't unpleasant. It seemed to be located around her stomach area and its tickling fingers stretched around her sides and reached up towards her sternum. Whenever it grabbed hold of her, she found it impossible to sit still. At the moment, she was having a rather powerful bout of this new and unexplained feeling so she thought that a walk should probably help her think things through.

"Keitaro-senpai…why do I feel this way every time I think of you? I know that I have loved you for so long but what is this new physical feeling? Try as I might I cannot understand this. Could it be because I am older? Am I loving you even more, should that even be possible? Oh Keitaro, what is going on inside me? Wh…"

A freezing cold wind shot around the young adolescences ankles before swirling up around her slender frame, encasing her in an invisible, frigid whirlwind. Gripping her shoulders tightly, Shinobu tucked down into herself as the wind continued to blow. Looking up through squinting eyes, the girl shivered.

'Why's it so cold all of a sudden? It's summer isn't it? So why's it feel like it's barely 10 degrees?'

A rustling to her right caught her ear. Turning to look, an uneasy feeling began to enter her. A dark fog covering the ground was slowly creeping towards her. It wasn't more than about a foot deep but where it touched down with the ground, it looked like the earth dropped away into a chasm too deep to see all the way down. And from the fog came weird voices…animal chattering. An odd mixture of an insane laughing and barking. But far, far faster than normal. To poor Shinobu's ears, it was almost like they were calling out at triple the speed of any normal animal.

Taking a few hesitant steps back, Shinobu nearly turned and ran before she saw a large hunched shape in the fog, not 100 meters from her. Its head was misshapen and warped, appearing as if its fur was folding over itself, sucking into nothingness as more grew from places that the eyes couldn't see because of the impossibility of it. It opened what appeared its mouth and the horrible insane laughter/ barking noise echoed out as its bottom jaw wobbled, distorting the sound making it reverberate and echo, as if it came from every direction at once. It began walking towards Shinobu, legs sprouting from its shoulders and haunches, touching down just as its previous legs disappeared in a soft puff of fog. Nearing the terrified young girl, it opened its mouth. Wide. Wider than physically possible. The deep inky blackness of its throat temporally stunned the youth until spider like limbs began creeping out from the depths of its gullet. That's when she took a huge breath and…

-----

Keitaro sat bolt upright panting heavily. Something was not right. He had never ever felt such an ominous presence as this and right now it was incredibly close to the house. Keitaro quickly jumped up and began pulling clothes on. Just as he neared the door, he felt something else.

'No…Shinobu!!!'

An ear splitting scream rocked the house as dark streak shot through the hallways. The main door slammed shut as Keitaro sprinted through it. Rounding the house in a second, he quickly spied the blue headed girl. And then he saw the monstrous wolf like abomination move in, mouth wide open to swallow her whole. Keitaro's pupils quickly faded to a deep black as his fists sparked with Ki. In an instant he was beside Shinobu. His arms flashed as he held his hands out stretched, thumb and forefingers touching. Shouting loudly, he voiced some unearthly guttural words before a dark purple energy wave shot out and engulfed the creature. Its departing cry sent chills down even Keitaro's spine as its form twisted and thrashed before being ripped limb from limb. Eventually Keitaro subsided the attack and lowered his arms. A huge bulldozed area stretched out before them, but neither of them cared. Keitaro was shaking violently, a gripping fear clenching tighter and tighter around his stomach and lungs.

'No way! NO WAY! That could not have just been a spirate!! There is NO way that could have been a spirate! This is the year 2008! There is absolutely NO way in any shape or form that a spirate could have gotten here!! It is just completely and utterly impossible! And besides, it was an animal! Spirates don't attack animals! They can't! But it nearly ate Shinobu! …SHINOBU!'

Spinning on his heels, Keitaro faced the young teenager. She was just standing there, a few wisps of her hair blowing delicately across her face as vacant eyes stared into nothingness. Keitaro knelt down and looked into her eyes. Grasping her shoulders, he gave her a gentle shake.

"Shinobu? Are you ok?"

The girl focused on Keitaro. She convulsed briefly before vomiting all over the ground. She then lapsed into unconsciousness, but not before she had the chance to say one last thing. When Keitaro heard it, he frowned deeply. What she said echoed all around his mind as he carried her slender body towards the gathering group of girls.

"It felt so evil. Oh Keitaro it felt so, so evil!"

---------

Walking through the door, Yoko found all the girls circled around a still Shinobu, her small body covered with a blanket and a wet flannel on her head. She shivered from time to time as the fever took its course. Keitaro and Motoko stood a bit back silently talking to themselves. As Yoko neared, his ears twitched as his brain registered something.

"_Yoko, if you please, follow myself and Motoko. I need to speak with her about what has just happened. You should know about it too. You may also have some useful information too.__"_

He saw Keitaro quickly eye him before turning towards the back door. Motoko looked over his way with a glare before turning sharply and following. Shivering, Yoko began after the pair. He allowed a short glance at the sick girl on the couch before continuing on.

---------

Outside, Keitaro watched as Motoko quietly followed. Turning, he motioned for her to stop. Looking back to the door, he saw Yoko exit and slide it shut quietly. He walked over quickly and took a seat on the bench beside them. He saw him look up uncertainly while Motoko was impassive as always. Sighing, he thought of the best way to say what was troubling him. Looking at Motoko, he finally made up his mind.

"Ok. I have no choice but to tell you everything. By that I mean you Motoko as Yoko already knows this. To understand everything about me, being the duel we had, the apparent new strength and grace and the new power, I will need to tell you something. I will completely understand if you do not believe me for a second. But it's the truth, nothing less. Are you ready?"

A curt nod signalled his continuing.

"Well, as I said, believe me or not but here it is. To begin with, the day I brought Yoko back with me, from about 4:50pm that afternoon, just before you got home, the old Keitaro you knew stopped existing."

Motoko's hand drifted towards her sword. "So what does that make you then? I knew the Keitaro of old would never be able to gain so much strength, not even with 100 lifetimes!!"

Keitaro sighed. "You are so true. What am I? I don't even know. I wish I knew what I am and how I ended up this way."

Motoko's eyes narrowed. "What is your point?"

Keitaro bowed his head. "This is where things get hard. Motoko, you have no doubly been aware of my hardiness towards any type of physical punishment have you not? Well, that is because I have a unique ability, owned by none before me and none after me. I know that no one will ever again have this condition, this… curse… because I have already been there."

Motoko looked at Keitaro like he was mad.

Keitaro just ignored the look and continued. "Though I was born only Twenty-five years ago from this point in time, I am actually far older. I understand how stupid this all sounds. Every day I wake up hoping that I am just dreaming. I really do because I have had enough of life. Motoko, this durability that I have displayed is actually something so much more than what any of us, even Kaolla, could guess. I'll tell you straight out. I am an immortal."

Motoko's eyes widened when she heard this. "NO! You are but a perverted male with a following dog!"

She motioned to a dozing Yoko.

Keitaro looked her directly in the eyes. "I am not lying. Does not your family dojo even have a potential method for the conception of an immortal?"

Motoko took a step back in disbelief. "You are not, CAN NOT be immortal! There are stories about the possibility of an immortal though how you know of them is beyond me! They have been kept secret, only being passed on to each family heir when they are ready to take control over the school. Should the correct gene lines be interwoven and then folded back in on themselves in the forbidden acts of incest, then and only then could the possibility of an immortal even be considered. Every leader from my clan knows them because this being would be the most powerful and the most tortured soul that had ever existed. But the lines needed for such an act would require great-grand parents and great-grand children to be combined! It is an evil act to even consider creating such a being. Its very life could be considered a sin just by the way it would be conceived. Now are you telling me that your family has completed this despicable act?"

Keitaro shook his head. "No, thank the Lord. When I learnt of this possibility I was sickened to the stomach and pored over my families ancestry line for nearly two years. Thankfully after that time, I came to the reliving conclusion that it was not by this deplorable method that I was born. The question about how I came into this world with this curse still tortures me though. I hope that if I can find the genes that combined to give me this ability, that I could possibly undo them and then finally be able to die. But even with all the time I have been given, I still can't find these damned genes."

Motoko stood up straight, registering everything and chewing it over in her mind slowly. After a few minutes, she looked back down at Keitaro from her hight. "You think your immortal? How long have you been searching for these genes that have granted you this forbidden power?"

Keitaro looked her square in the eyes. "I swear to you that what I say is the truth. I found out about your method about Two Thousand years from now, when your school was decommissioned.

Motoko gasped at this, her Ki beginning to whirl around her. "How dare you say such a thing!! The Gods Cry School will forever be the forefront of the arts in which demon slaying is taught! What you are saying is blasphemy!"

Keitaro shrugged. "Be it or be it not be blasphemous it's the truth. Apparently a corrupt leader convinced a large portion of the school that the government of the time was dictating the way everyone lived their lives. That wasn't too far from the truth by my understanding but never the less, after the samurais slaughtered all of the government hierarchy the school was forever closed and forbidden to open its doors ever again. It was then that all the secret parchments and sacred texts came out of the hiding. I just managed to grab that one before they were burned. Anyway, after I read this, I spent the next two years hunting through my history to see if this atrocity had happened. When I found out that I was not born of an incestuously preordained conception, I spent from that day on until now hunting through my genetics. Unfortunately, I have find nothing despite my most sincere efforts. I don't know how telling you this may influence the future but with what I've seen, there's not a lot more that could go wrong. Anyway, a new microscope powered by plasma was developed a long while after that…a few million years I think… that was able to magnify images to an unlimited amount of zoom. When it was focused on the already mapped human genome, a second set of genetic coding was discovered within every single rung of the ladder that made up the commonly known DNA. When I found out about that, I began searching again. But can you even begin to understand just how arduous that task is? There is a DNA strand within every single cell that measures an average length of 1.02 meters, but only about 20 nanometers wide. When broken down into their 23 base pairs, each has an average length of 4.5 centimetres. Three billion base pairs are required to make up just this one, three foot long strand of DNA. And then when the human body can consist of anything from Ten to One Hundred Trillion cells, you can understand that the number of genes that I am going through to find this one anomaly is practically incomprehensible fro any normal human. I calculated approximately how many genes there are that I'm searching through in just one cell and came up with that there is about Nine Quintillion base pairs. Or a nine followed by eighteen zeros. Sounds like an impossible task doesn't it? The only thing that keeps me searching is that when I do finally find it, I can uncover a way to neutralise it's effect and finally be able to rest as a normal human."

Motoko just stood there for a minute or so trying desperately to absorb all of this information. 'What is he? What is he saying? Is it even possible what he is saying? Is our manager actually suicidal?'

"So…basically your hunting through an uncountable amount of genetic coding to find this singular abnormal gene so that even if you do by some impossibly remote chance find it, you can deactivate it or something like that so you can die. Correct?"

Keitaro nodded. "Wow Motoko that really impresses me! I had no idea that you would be able to understand me!"

Motoko shook her head. "No. I understand what your saying but it's not the truth. It cannot be. What you are saying is that you have been living for millions of years and that my life's goal comes to an end in Two Thousand years. That is an impossibility. One, because your standing here, in front of me looking exactly the same as you did last time I remembered you and two, should what you said be true, that means that you have discovered how to travel through time. All of that is just too farfetched. I do not know what made you decide to weave this tale of lies but rest assured, you will be punished for your deceitfulness and for your blasphemies!"

As Motoko reached for her sword, Keitaro sighed. 'Might as well show here through shocking some sense into her.'

Moving forward at an incredible speed, Keitaro snatched the katana from its sheath before Motoko could even touch her fingers to the hilt. She gasped in surprise when the lad before her disappeared. Her surprise grew even more when her hand grasped the air a few times before she realised her precious sword wasn't there.

"Motoko, you must understand that what I told you is the truth. I guess I had too high of hopes for you to grasp it all immediately."

The young samurai spun around to face the voice behind her. Keitaro stood there with, to her immense shock, _Youto Hina _sitting on his shoulder.

"How in the gods names did you do that?"

Keitaro lowered the sword tip so it hovered a few inches above the ground. "Like I said. I am immortal so when you so unfortunately passed away, I undertook the study of Ki manipulation and combat. Your right as well though, not with One Hundred lives could I have obtained this level of skill."

Motoko felt a small tremble start at her ankles and quickly move through her body up to her head. 'What is this… I did not even see him move… but he has not exerted even a fraction of his strength, or so it seems…'

Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Motoko forced herself to speak. "So say what you said is correct…how old are you exactly?"

Keitaro didn't even bat an eyelid. "I am Five million, Two hundred thousand, One hundred and Forty- Eight years old."

Motoko took a few steps backwards before slumping down beside an enthralled Yoko. "Impossible! Impossible! It is impossible! How do you expect me to believe that?"

Yoko looked over to her. "And that's only just scraping the iceberg with this guy. You think you know a dude and then he comes out with something like that. Mind boggling hey."

Motoko just looked at Yoko.

"I'll be quiet now…"

Keitaro made a noise in his throat and stopped when Motoko looked up in annoyance. "Motoko, weather you believe me or not doesn't mean anything really. Just be prepared for what I am about to show you because you will not like it."

Spinning the sword around in his hands, Motoko's eyes widened as Keitaro positioned the blade over his chest.

"NO!!!"

With a quick thrust, Keitaro plunged the blade in deep. A painful crack echoed out as the tip pierced bone and muscle. Blood squirted a small distance across the ground as the blade dug deeper. With a final grunt, the blade shot out of his back in a small geyser of blood.

A small unnoticed tear slipped down a rarely moistened cheek as the samurai watched the heart of her manager become impaled upon the blade of her sword. "Oh Keitaro what have you done…"

But then something happened that Motoko did not expect. Keitaro did not collapse. Instead he stood straighter and looked at them with an unidentifiable emotion on his face. His eyes glinted in pain but he didn't show it. "Motoko, if this does not convince you that I am immortal then I don't know what will."

The young samurai sat there in a state of shock while Yoko looked away in disgust. "Dude you could warn us about what your actually gona do! I nearly puked!"

With a small grunt, Keitaro gripped the hilt and pulled it out in one swift motion. It exited cleanly with only a small amount of blood on it. Wiping it on the grass and then cleaning it with his shirt, he handed it back to the amazed girl.

"Sorry Yoko but had I said I was going to do that Motoko would have instantly stopped me."

Motoko shook her head a few times and looked at Yoko. "Your saying you actually knew about this?"

Yoko nodded. "Yup. You know how Keitaro recons he is how ever old he is? Well when Keitaro said he could time travel, he did. Right from my time back to here. Don't know his reasons or anything but it seems like a nice enough place. Everything's so different and all your accents are really weird."

Motoko just shook her head. "So your saying your from the future?"

Yoko nodded. "Yep, year 200235."

Keitaro shook his head. "That was from the meteorite impact Yoko. The real year, or at least by this times calendar, is 5200235."

Yoko just 'ahhed' while Motoko continued to boggle at everything she had been told. "But how am I meant to believe that you two can time travel? And aside from that, do you have any other abilities I do not know of?"

Keitaro nodded. "I expected that. Lets see…"

Keitaro seemed to light up in an immensely bright light but for some reason, Motoko couldn't discern if it was real or just something she imagined. Keitaro smiled just after the odd flash.

"This will do. Your sister is on her way here now. After you told her about the fight and so on, she decided to come early. She will arrive this evening at 7:06pm and the first thing she will want to do is question me. Do you think you can wait till then?"

Motoko nodded. "My sister never arrives this early. She is always prompt when asked to come at a certain time or just appears randomly. If what you said is true then I will believe you."

Keitaro smiled. "Good! You also want to know if we have any other abilities?"

Motoko nodded.

"Well, there are two others. They are classified into the senses category. You know your five senses. Taste, touch, sound, sight and smell. Well, _when they uncovered the second set of genetic coding hidden within the first base pairs, the ability to communicate telepathically and telekinetically move things was discovered. They called this the 6__th__ sense._"

Motoko jumped high into the air when Keitaro's voice suddenly echoed around her mind. When she landed, she found that she was missing one of her sandals. Looking around, she saw Yoko point in front of them. The missing sandal was floating in front of Keitaro.

"The next sense was discovered by combining the two abilities of the 6th sense to create the illusion of an object morphing into something its not."

The sandal began to twist and rotate, changing and elongating until it floated as a perfect replica of the _Youto Hina. _Motoko nearly squealed in surprise when she understood just what happened.

"What you see is not real. I have distorted the air around your sandal to act like a magnifying glass of sorts. The light has been bent around it in a way that tricks the eyes into seeing what is not actually there. Should you reach out to grab it, you will still feel your sandal thought its best not to as the mind has trouble understanding it. Many people I have known have ended up with migraines as a result."

Pausing for a moment, he looked at the sword as it slowly rotated. Taking a breath, Keitaro continued. "For the people that managed to master this ability, the reality shift or re-shift as it is more commonly known, they gained the ability to create objects out of thin air. Basically, it involves moving air born partials with the telekinetic ability into a space of air that is the shape of what you want.

A soft greying in the air beside the sword began to form.

"By altering the particle clusters and a few other little factors, it is possible to create a new object that is very much a solid and able to be held."

The greying air slowly moulded and elongated until a second _Youto Hina_ hovered in the air.

"This is classified as the 7th sense. And the 8th sense is time travel. I alone am the only person ever to have gained this ability."

Yoko looked away and lowered his voice. "Smart ass…"

Keitaro walked forward and took hold of both swords. The first instantly snapped back into the form of a sandal while the second remained. Walking up to Motoko, Keitaro handed her sandal and the sword. Talking both, Motoko slipped the thong back on and felt the weight of the sword. As she tested it, Keitaro continued talking.

"Although I am able to create these things, they will never be as good as the original, or as if they were made by hand. It is very difficult to judge the exact dispersion of the particles so any object made of the re-shift will be flawed in some way."

Motoko pointed the sword at Keitaro and looked down the blade. "It seems to be well balanced. The blade is straight and light. The edge is sharpened to perfection. I cannot detect any flaws."

Keitaro nodded. "Yes, that's true. But should you go over there and try your leaf cutting practice, you will find that this imitation metal I have created is far weaker than normal. I say that within about 100 leaves, the blade would be needed to be resharpened. And the second you do that the blade will snap."

Motoko nodded slowly. "Yes…yes that may be so. I'll just put this down now."

Resting the sword on the seat, Motoko made sure it was stable before she slumped forward. Yoko caught her and looked at her.

"She's gone man. I guess we over loaded her a bit much."

Keitaro sighed and nodded. "Yea, looks that way. Oh well, we'll let her rest and then I'll speak with her again. Help me with her. We'll get her to her bed and please, keep an eye out for the girls because the second they see Motoko out they'll swarm us."

Yoko nodded. "Yeah, especially Naru. I swear that girl is one fuse short of a cannon. She'd kill us if she saw us doing this."

Keitaro looked away and muttered something under his breath. Yoko raised an eyebrow but decided to let it go. Getting a shoulder under the girls arm, Yoko lifted.

"Hoooly! How much does this girl weigh??? She's got to be 80 Kilos!"

Keitaro laughed and got under the other arm. "She's not light is she?"

They then began walking towards the inn, talking about random bits n pieces.

---------

In Motoko's room, they looked at the girl as she lay silently under her covers. Turning to face his tall friend, Keitaro's face darkened. Yoko noticed and frowned.

"What's up Keitaro?"

The shorter of the two began walking slowly towards the door. "I think I may have made a mistake. A serious, SERIOUS mistake. Come with me please. I need to tell you about what happened this afternoon."

A worried look replaced the frown as he watched Keitaro leave silently. Taking one last look at Motoko, Yoko quietly left the room, wondering what Keitaro could have possibly done.

--------

A/N - Phew! That was a real brain strain to write! That's a lot of information I put in there so if you want to make sure I'm correct, here are a few links that confirm what I wrote (more or less. Not everything I said is a complete definite dew to the size of the numbers). And just for those who wonder how I got that final sum, I assumed that in each rung there is another 3 billion genes. When you think that in one single cell there's 3 billion base pairs in such a small space, it's not that hard to think that 3 billion more could be in each rung.

And is it ok that Motoko's sword is the Youto Hina? It's just that hers was originally broken so I'm guessing that she took this one as her own… or did she get a new sword? I can't remember anything saying she did get a new one but if she did end up getting another one, let me know and I'll fix it up.

Well, I'm signing out for the time being. Any constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you liked the story and I'll see you in chapter 14!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 everybody! Well, things are gona start heating up now. This is getting into the second half of the story so it should be getting better (I hope :P)

If your ready, continue as usual.

I own nothing

**Chapter 14**

Keitaro paced his room. Yoko sat in the corner and watched his friend as he continued his little circle from wall to wall. He had given up on trying to count how many laps Keitaro had completed because they had been in the room for about 20 minutes now.

'He's gona wear a hole in the floor…'

Looking around the room, Yoko began to really feel the boredom take hold. Shifting around, he felt the uncomfortable feeling of sitting on cords as his butt went to sleep. Sighing, Yoko gave up.

'I've had enough. I'm leaving.'

Standing, Yoko waved a casual hand in Keitaro's general direction.

"Well, I'm off buddy. Watching you pace for 20 minutes sure is riveting but right now I feel like I have enough pee to fill the hot springs and I can't feel my spine. So you tell me when your ready to talk and I'll come back ok?"

Keitaro looked up. "What was that? Where are you going I have to tell you something!"

Yoko raised an eyebrow as he reached for the door. "You mean you were out of it for 20 minutes? Keitaro, buddy. You may be all powerful and immortal but for us normals, time does pass. Currently I really need to wee and I every step I take drills pins and needles through my legs. So if your ready to talk now, I'll be right back because at this very moment, the toilets call is more important to me than life itself. So sit yourself down, have a think about how you wanna tell me whatever it is you wanna tell me and then, when I get back, tell me it."

Opening the door, Yoko left quickly, knees straight as he waddled as fast as he could towards the toilet.

Keitaro sat down on the chair Yoko had occupied and dropped his head into his hands. "But where am I meant to start??? I don't even fully know what it is that I need to tell him! I just hope that when he gets back I can tell him everything in a way he can understand."

Sitting back, Keitaro began his wait. About 10 minutes later Keitaro began to get curious. Walking to the door, he reached out and it opened itself. There stood a very annoyed Yoko in a different set of pants.

Keitaro looked him up and down. "You took 10 minutes to wee and then change your pants?"

Yoko face darkened. "No. Because you took your sweet time and I couldn't feel anything below my belly button, I didn't make it. So I spent all that time cleaning the evidence. Your lucky none of the girls found it or I'd pin it on you."

Keitaro stifled a laugh and waved Yoko in. Stomping over to the chair, he dropped into it in a huff.

"Glad you find it so funny."

Keitaro continued snorting for a bit until he finally composed himself. "Sorry about that but I needed a laugh. Besides, what I'm about to tell you now will probably make you forget all about this."

Yoko nodded slowly. "Yea. Ok then, spill it."

Keitaro's smile dropped from his face and he looked at the ground.

Yoko looked at him in disinterest. 'He is so emotional…"

Looking back up, Keitaro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, he looked at Yoko.

"Well, I don't know how else to say it so I'll say it straight. I think I brought a spirate back with me to this time."

Yoko's eyes doubled and he toppled off his seat. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY???"

Keitaro cringed. "I think I brought a spirate back with me. Us."

Yoko's mouth started flapping but no sound came out. Keitaro looked away in shame.

"I wish it wasn't true but I have no other explanation for what is happening. I'm sure that I have felt it. That day we arrived here, I saw an odd grey mist floating not a few feet away from us. I ignored it because I couldn't believe that it was a wisp. That and we were about to be tackled by a group of rampaging girls so I had a few things on my mind."

Yoko shook his head violently. "NO NO NO!!! How could this be?? It shouldn't have been possible! You would have noticed if a wisp was close to you, you always have! I don't know how you do it but you can always tell who's who and you don't even have to be looking. Hell, you don't even need your eyes open! So it has to be the same for wisps and spirates!"

Keitaro shrunk into himself. "I wish that was the case. But what I saw that day, this afternoon and a dream I had only two days ago practically confirms it."

Yoko looked at him suspiciously. "Dream?"

Keitaro shivered as he remembered. "My dream. My dream was I had just woken up. It was about 5 in the afternoon. It was beautiful. I went out to look at the city but when I stepped outside, no one was there. Absolutely no one. Not in the inn, not down in town, nowhere. Anyway, I heard a noise around the back of the dorms. I went to look and heard the queerest chattering sound. Like a barking laugh but at triple speed. It came from above me and when I looked up, a dark grey wolf like creature dropped onto my head screaming. It was at that point I woke up. And as for what I saw this afternoon…it scared me Yoko. It truly and honestly scared me. Poor little Shinobu had been walking around the back of the house. I'm not sure what happened but I felt her presence overshadowed by an incredible evil. When I got there, the exact same shadow wolf was standing over her, mouth stretched incredibly wide. It was going to devour her and I wouldn't doubt that what would happen inside that thing to any creature it captures is anything short of hell. I killed it Yoko. I ripped it limb from limb. And yet I am still scared, right down to the bone even now. I just hope its gone for good. I cannot feel its specific presence any more…but I still feel something. Its only small, practically insignificant, but I can see something else with this. I have no idea when or where or how but what ever this thing is…its going to come. Its going to rise up and no one is going to be safe. This is going to become an enormous task. And I am the only one who can carry it because I am the one who caused it. I just hope for everyone's sake that it appears somewhere where we can fight without casualties. But with how my life has been, I might as well set up camp in the middle of Tokyo and wait for it there."

Yoko shook his head in disbelief. "How could this have happened? We weren't careless. We froze in place where it was safe. There was nothing that could have happened…oh no…"

Keitaro looked up sharply. "What?"

Yoko began staring at the floor and shaking uncontrollably. Keitaro jumped to his side and began shaking him.

"What Yoko what is it?"

Yoko looked up from the floor and a sheet white face looked Keitaro in the eye. "It was a wisp Keitaro. What you saw was a wisp and I can confirm it. I remember, we were sitting down trying to plan our next move after everything had been decimated by the spirates. You were all dark and untouchable so I was just sitting beside you.. It was then that I noticed a small grey puff embed itself into your clothes. I didn't tell you about it or even acknowledge it because I was sure if it was something you would have picked it up. But I guess you were so distracted that you missed it. It was in your clothes Keitaro. It hitched a ride with us. And now, its free in this time."

Keitaro lost all colour and dropped to the floor beside an equally horrified Yoko. "How could I be so careless? I was taught to always be on guard for something like this. ALWAYS! Not that they meant for time travel but just for the general spread of the spirates. But there's one thing I just don't get."

Yoko looked over at his distraught friend. "What's that?"

Keitaro frowned slightly, still colourless. "When first divided, a wisp is completely harmless. It drifts off into the sky where it takes a few years to fully mature into the life sucking parasites we call spirates. It has hasn't even been a month yet and there's already a fully developed spirate in our midst. And then what baffles me further is that its an animal! Spirates can't divide anything other than a human. They need an identical base pair amount to divide. Humans only have 23 base pairs while a dog has 39. It just shouldn't be possible! But then I am completely contradicted to what I have learnt by the wolf spirate that nearly consumed Shinobu. I don't know, perhaps it has found a way to alter its very DNA to the hosts, making it possible to divide anything that has a gene in it. Another thing that is worrying me is that it didn't attack a human first. I know it sounds callous but the general instinct of a spirate is to hunt down humans. The fact that the first of these things that I have seen was an animal almost makes me think that the original spirate may actually have a developed consciousness, capable of thinking clearly enough to develop plans. Because, I mean, if you wanted to take out all of humanity and you could divide animals too, wouldn't it be easier to take us on with a whole army of mystified creatures? It is very scary Yoko. I don't know what to do…the very ground that thing was walking on looked like it had been divided into some unnatural element that should not exist. I know that that is impossible because the ground is lifeless, containing in it no chromosomes, but after what I have seen today, I am almost preparing for the ground around us to darken and mistify and then absorb every living thing on the planet. The thought that even the very earth we're standing on could be possibly attacked by this new spirate is mind numbing. I don't know what I'm up against and seriously, I am petrified. I am so scared Yoko. I just can't say it enough…I am so so scared."

Yoko started at Keitaro in bewilderment. Never had he seen this side of his friend. Sure, he had seen less than positive moods strike the immortal, but fear? Not even in the midst of a massive spirate confrontation had he seen fear on Keitaro's face. He was always composed, calm and collected until the job was done. But now… now the man before him was practically quaking in fear.

Taking a few hesitant steps towards his friend, Yoko tried to put on a brave face. "Surely it couldn't be that bad hey? I mean, u said you killed it off. What makes you think that any of the other spirates will be that hard?"

Keitaro sniffed. "It's the fact that they are even in this time line. And that they have changed so far from what I have known. Seriously Yoko I have absolutely no idea with what we are dealing with here. If a spirate can fully mature in one month then that's 36 new spirates. And from then another 36 and so on. In just 6 months everyone in the world could be completely divided!! Not to mention that now even the very animals seem to be pray for this thing… I just don't know Yoko. I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that is not going away. And it is always there just before something terrible happened. Whether it be any of the multiple world wars I have witnessed, or every time I was exposed and/or captured. And then when the spirates came into being. And I tell you now this feels exactly like how I felt when I first heard of the disappearances. Except it is many times more prominent. It feels… I just cant describe it! Its so frustrating! You would think that in all my pathetic years I have traipsed this miserable wasteland of an earth, I would have picked up ways of describing my feelings. And yet now I am still left with nothing useful to describe myself with! I swear, it would be more accurate of how I feel for me to just scream."

Yoko sat back down. Everything that he had heard in a few short minutes was just too much for his mind to comprehend. Slowly he shut down, his brain desperately trying to sort this information into more manageable segments. Before darkness fully consumed his consciousness, he saw Keitaro look at him sorrowfully before walking towards him. It was then that things went dark.

----------

Painfully opening one eye, Yoko stretched. The room was close to dark so he assumed he must have been out for a few hours. Pulling himself up on his elbows, he looked up at the clock.

7:03pm.

Sighing, Yoko got up. Pulling an arm across his chest, his thoughts wondered back to his little conversation with Keitaro a few hours earlier. 'How could we both be so careless? Keitaro may take it upon himself but seriously, I'm just as much to blame as he is.'

Opening the door, a pleasing aroma reached Yoko's nostrils. Brightening somewhat, he quickly made his way down the stairs. Quickly reaching the table, Shinobu's bright call sounded from the kitchen.

"Dinner!"

Quickly the room filled up with people. Just as everyone sat down, a merry voice called from the door way.

"Perhaps their might be some extra that I could have?"

Everyone turned to look at who it was. Only Yoko noticed Motoko go several shades lighter in colour. He saw her glance at the clock and then saw her eyes pop. He looked at the clock too.

7:06pm.

This triggered a key memory in the explanation of Motoko's fear and surprise.

_(Flashback)_

_Your sister is on her way here now. After you told her about the fight and so on, she decided to come early. She will arrive this evening at 7:06pm and the first thing she will want to do is question me. _

_(End Flashback)_

Rising quickly, Motoko hurried away, purposely taking the long way around to avoid the front door. Walking briskly up the stairs, she made her way to the managers room. Rapping 3 times on the door, she waited for it to open. A few seconds later, Keitaro's head poked out.

"Yes Motoko?"

Motoko grunted. "Don't play coy with me Urashima. You know why I'm here. I acknowledge you have the ability of Future Sight but don't think that will make me stop watching your movements. If anything you will have me as a shadow."

Keitaro nodded. "I know. Now, if you don't want to talk with your sister, you better hurry to your room. She's coming up the stairs now."

Opening her mouth to say something, she was cut short by her sisters voice.

"Oh Keitaro? Are you up here? I would very much like to have a few quick words with you."

Paling visibly, Motoko quickly made tracks around the corner. Keitaro watched after her and shook his head in silent laughter.

'To think that this young fearful swords girl takes her sister on and wins in a mere two years. Haha hadn't I seen it myself I wouldn't have guessed it.'

Cupping a hand around his mouth, Keitaro called out. "Tsuruko! What a pleasant surprise! I am up here, please, come on in!"

Seeing the beautiful flowing green hair and equally beautiful face rise from the stairs, Keitaro took a step to the side and held his arm out in a welcoming manner. Nodding thankfully, the tall lady glided into his room. Closing the door behind her, a small frown flickered across Keitaro's face as the door clicked in place.

----------

The two were seated opposite of one another, Keitaro's study table between them, each with a small cup of soda before them. Getting comfortable, Keitaro looked up expectantly.

"Well Tsuruko, what is it that I have done to warrant such a pleasant surprise?"

In all the time Keitaro had known the powerful warrior before him, this was the first time she did not return the smile.

"Keitaro. I think you know only too well why I am here. But should you not, I will inform you. A few days ago, you sparred with my younger sister. As undisciplined and unfocused as she is, she is still very strong. No offence intended but I knew that to be on par with her, you would need to be in peak physical condition and frankly, you did not have anything of the likes last time I met with you. I then received a call from Motoko. She hesitantly told me about how you defeated her weapon less, finishing the round with nothing more than a slight flinch of the arm into her stomach. After you both had recovered, she requested you show her one of your katas. I will not sugar coat what she told me. She said it was the most amazing routine she had ever witnessed. Far, far , FAR beyond anything she had ever heard or even known of. Going back in time a bit, about a month or so, I remember feeling something. It was only faint but even from where I was in the mountains, I still remember it clearly. Though faint, I felt a tremendous Chi burst forth from apparently nothingness. But what had me really wondering about it was that it was extremely familiar. It was your energy Keitaro. But so much more focused, controlled and calm than anything I have felt before. Since then, I have detected numerous spikes in your energy. One was around the time that Motoko specified. It increased dramatically, but that was nothing but the wisp of a shadow in comparison with the next spike I felt."

Keitaro internally flinched when Tsuruko innocently said 'wisp'.

"The second increase left everything I have ever learned or studied for dead. Everything I have ever studied on human potential and the limits of the human body were shattered when, just a few days after your fight, the most tremendous energy I or any of the other elders had ever lain witness to suddenly appeared."

Keitaro began to unconsciously sink as Tsuruko retold the story.

"I'll give you a reference to how much power was being generated. The average human has a numerical power quota of about 500. Motoko on a good day has a count of about 4000 to 5000. This energy we had to endure counted to over 1.5 million! It was cut short by something but at the rate it was increasing, many of us believe that left untreated, this new unbridled power could exceed 3 million quotas. I have not yet told any of the other masters, but that energy I felt was yours. By all rights I should have told them and have all our strongest come and dispose of you because of just how erratic and wild it was. This was completely latent power, unfocused, untrained. It was just shear emotionally fuelled untamed fury. I came to talk with you because for some reason, I believe you may be able to tame this. To gather all of this amazing power under your control and use it constructively. So these are the choices I am giving you. Train under me and learn to harness this incredible latent ability. Or, I call the elders and we come and destroy you."

Keitaro was now looking at the floor. He slowly shook his head. Looking up weakly, Keitaro forced himself to look into the commanding woman's glare. "As much as I appreciate your offer, I'm afraid I can't do either. The first reason is, and when saying this I am in no way criticising your methods or teaching ability, is because the energy you detected is as controlled as I can get it. I know that has absolutely no base to it by your reasoning but understand that I have lived with this curse far longer than you realise. What you felt when you detected the unleashed spike was a result of an experiment conducted on me by Su. She tapped into my mind and brought up memories. Dangerous memories that I'm not going into. She has promised never to do something like that ever again so you don't have to fear about that uncontrolled energy breaking out ever again. And the second reason I cant take either options is because if you attack me, you will waste your efforts on me."

Tsuruko narrowed her eyes. "If it is so hard for everyone perhaps I should strike you down now."

Keitaro shook his head and laughed humourlessly. "If it was so easy I would have cut myself down years ago. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. It still remains fact that I cannot die and there is nothing you or any of yours can ever change. Believe me, I wish it was not so but that's how it is."

Tsuruko glared daggers at Keitaro. "You dare mock me? You DARE mock my ancestors and mentors? You have a lot of guts to say such things Urashima but it ends here. For the safety of the country and for the pride of our clan!"

Lunging forward, Tsuruko unsheathed her sword and buried it up to the hilt into Keitaro's stomach, all in the fraction of a second. Keitaro's eyes widened briefly in pain before slowly closing. Holding her pose, Tsuruko regretfully looked at the fading manager.

"I am truly sorry that is had to come to this."

"Don't worry about it. I always seem to be judged like this. Its nothing new."

Jumping back in shock, Tsuruko looked at Keitaro, eyes wide as they could get. Looking up tiredly, Keitaro gripped the hilt of Tsuruko's sword and pulled it out in a swift movement. A small dribble of blood trickled down the front of his shirt, but nothing more than that. Removing his soiled shirt, he cleaned the blade of any remaining traces of blood before laying it on the table. Throwing his shirt into the corner, he turned to his cupboard. Sorting through a few shirts, he spoke out of the back of his head.

"I would appreciate it if you kept this confidential. It would save your name and prevent any unwanted questions."

Tsuruko stood from the far side of the room observing the undead manager in front of her. 'How is this possible? I drove my blade straight through the main artery that connects his legs with his heart! He should have died within seconds… and aside from that, his physique is incredible! Every single muscle looks as if it has been trained to perfection… further even. I can almost see the energy outlining each muscle… it is astounding! I do not know how but this amazing being is telling the truth.'

Selecting a new shirt, Keitaro pulled it on and turned around. Looking at the careful swordswoman, he smiled slightly. "It is a pleasant relief to see that you haven't run away screaming, called me a monster or alien or passed out like every single person before you has done."

Tsuruko didn't move. "So… tell me about this ability. How did you gain it?"

Keitaro nodded. "My curse? Ok I'll tell you everything I know. But please, before I start I must ask you something. As you were coming here, did you feel an incredible evil overshadow the Hinata Inn?"

Tsuruko nodded slowly. "That was the reason I got here before schedule."

Keitaro nodded glumly. "Good. You already know enough to make this a lot easier. Please, sit down. This will take a long while."

------------

A/N - Well, that's that. For the next chapter, I'll jump the whole Keitaro retells everything and get straight onto the juicy stuff. You may thank me later ;)

Anyway, I'm off until then. Hope this satisfied you until the big chapter number One Five.

Any reviews constructively criticising my work is gladly accepted and taken note of. I got an exceptional one last chapter so many thanks to Nederbird for the help. And to anyone who just likes the story, confidence boosters never go astray :D


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15! Damn this seems to have gone fast! I remember coming up with just the concept for this… sigh good memories J

And to Spirit HellFire, that's a good theory! Lets see if your right…

I own nothing

**Chapter 15**

Tsuruko sat there staring at Keitaro in disbelief. How could ANYTHING this… this boy in front of her have just said be true? It just wasn't possible but all the evidence sat there in front of her, both in Keitaro and what he had said. He named names. Re told her about the top secret scroll of immortality. The telepathic and telekinetic abilities he displayed. Said of future conflicts between other schools of the sword that they currently were having problems with and finally… the undeniable truth of his immortality with him not even being scarred from the normally deadly blow dealt to him not 30 minutes ago. And now, he claimed that he had brought back with him a powerful curse. A human clone that reproduced at the cost of a full blood human. That sounded completely absurd but the intensity of the evil that brought her so quickly to this place served as a haunting reminder that all of this was true. Shuffling around on her knees, Tsuruko eyed up Keitaro.

"So you claim that Ki is the method of destroying these beasts that you have returned with."

Keitaro nodded. "When the spirates first started attacking humans, nothing seemed to effect them. No amount of gun power, swords or explosives seemed to work as everything they had passed straight through them. Eventually one day, a master of the telekinetic ability was attacked by a spirate. Instantly he drew upon his ability and hit the spirate with a ball of telekinetic energy. It knocked the spirate away with such force that it left him alone instantly. He went to tell everyone about his discovery. Eventually they discovered that attacking a spirate in the midst of an attack was their only weak point. So a squad was formed of the best telekinetic powers in the world at that time. Meanwhile, I was attacked by a spirate. I nearly inhaled it in fear but that also caused me to flair my Ki. You can imagine my surprise when the thing disintegrated into a screaming heap of ashes. I knew I had found the perfect way of killing them, except no one anymore believed in Ki manipulation. Heck, mostly they didn't even know it existed! After that, I thought it my duty to enlist myself with the current spirate squad. And from within them, I was able to help and kill many more spirates than they knew of."

Tsuruko held a finger to her chin in thought. "So in this time, we have a far greater chance of eradicating this evil completely."

Keitaro nodded. "Precisely. With yourself, Motoko and the masters of Ki all fighting this thing, we have a very good chance of beating this thing. Their Ki signature is difficult to explain but this is the best description I can manage. You feel anyone in this house's Ki. Its full and existent. Now, a spirates signature is half that. I know it sounds really weird, but that's what it feels like. Because its only a shadow of a human, it has half the Ki. Its just as recognisable as a humans, but it feels empty, like a very important part of what makes a human human is missing."

Tsuruko nodded. "That's how the signal felt when I picked it up. It was all there, but not. Quite difficult to explain."

Keitaro smiled briefly before his face dropped again. "But then there is something about this spirate I must tell you. In the future, spirates generally took a few years to mature from wisps. We have hardly been here more than a month and already there is a fully fledged spirate in our midst. That and it was a dog too. Before this there had never been a case of animals being divided. There is something else about it that also has me very worried. I feel something. Its faint, but there. I wouldn't need to be forced to say it feels like it's the main driving force behind it all. Small but very noticeable. I cannot shake the feeling that when this thing rises from where ever it is, that is when the real battle will begin. I do not know when or where it will arise but from what I have seen, it could be very soon. I am asking that you go and gather your very best students and masters and only those with battle experience. I know it is a huge ask but if I am to beat these things I cannot do it alone. I need help. And you are the person that can give me that help. So. Can I rely on you?"

Tsuruko sat back in thought. Nothing that Keitaro had said so far was believable. But she just could not deny him. Her eyes flickered and she caught his gaze. "So far everything you have told me is so wild and vivid that it just sounds like a dream you had. Nothing at all you have said could be plausible by any method."

Keitaro began to slip back into his depression. "Just as I thought. Naturally no one could believe…"

"But because of all the evidence you have shown to verify these unbelievable claims, I will bring them. It will be at least two days though. Till then, you keep me updated on any possible movements."

For the first time in a long time, Keitaro smiled broadly. "Done! Are you hungry? I'm sure Shinobu would be more than happy to whip you up something."

Tsuruko shook her head. "No. If this is such a grave matter then I must hurry. I thank you for the offer though."

Nodding, Keitaro stood. "Quite right, quite right. Well, if that's the case, then I shall escort you to the stairs then."

Moving to the door and standing beside it, Keitaro stood their looking like an idiot as Tsuruko gracefully rose and drifted through the door. As Keitaro began to follow the master swordswoman, Keitaro zoned out as his emotions sky rocketed. 'I can't believe it! She actually accepted! This is fantastic! I now have a really good chance of beating this thing! Oh I pray that this thing holds off another two days till Tsuruko gets back! Ha ha I'll take this thing on no problems!'

Stuck in his euphoric high, he failed to notice Tsuruko stop and look at the TV. Bumping into her, she took a small step to right herself while Keitaro toppled over.

"I'M SORRY!"

Curling into a ball, Keitaro waited for the abusive call of 'pervert!' and the attack to come. After a bit, Keitaro realised he was still grounded and not flying over the pacific. Uncurling himself, he slowly stood up making sure no one noticed him. "Wow…5 million years and still I drop like an idiot to their wrath."

Moving silently around behind Tsuruko, Keitaro took his place trying his best to look like nothing happened. "What's going on?"

Tsuruko didn't even acknowledge him. Frowning, he looked over at what she was watching. All the girls in the house were gathered in front of the TV watching intently. A soft voice filtered to his ears and slowly his eyes widened in horror as what he dreaded unfolded before him on the screen before him.

"- and currently you can see the humanoid like creatures flying overhead screaming that horrid unearthly call! If the cameraman could just show our viewers what were all seeing here, I'm sure you all will understand our unrest."

Keitaro's eyes continued to widen further and further as the lady talked. And when the camera swept up to the sky, the lads mouth dropped open and a shriek of horror filled the room. Every single person in that room jumped in fright and spun round to look at the terrified man. Keitaro had rushed backwards into the wall and was still pushing into it, face sheet white and his mouth moving but no sound coming out. Tsuruko moved in cautiously. The wall behind Keitaro was creaking and snaps were echoing through the walls as increasing pressure forced itself against it. Taking a step forward, Tsuruko raised a hand in front of his eyes and waved.

'His blood pressure dropped and yet his Ki is rising… how?'

"Keitaro, what's wrong? Can you tell me what your so afraid about?"

Eyes finally gaining focus, they flickered up to Tsuruko's, fear spilling from them. A barely audible whisper floated from white lips and when Tsuruko heard them her eyes thinned to lines.

"Those are Spirates! That is what I have been dreading all this time… their here…they've already began dividing humans… and now… now their about to attack. That pattern they are flying in the sky is one of a few I know meaning that ever single person in that town has about 10 minutes to get as far away from there as they can before that town is swamped by them! I must warn them! I need to get everyone away from there now!'

Tsuruko frowned. "Keitaro. As much as I wish I could do that with you and rid us of these creatures, it is impossible as the village has over five hundred people living there. Not to mention its at the other end of the country."

Motivation re-entered the young lads mind as hope dawned within. Though this time, not everything seemed just right in his eyes.

"Yes. Yes, its only a few hundred kilometres away I can make that! Tsuruko, you get back to your dojo and get everyone assembled quickly! I'll stop this attack and meet up with you there I'll see you soon!"

Jumping up, Keitaro began to run towards the door muttering something that sounded like, "I can save them, I can save them, I can save them."

Tsuruko called out but he didn't hear it. Instead he ran faster. For some strange reason, he didn't stop when he hit the door and ploughed on through it, rendering it to splinters. Taking his weight on his right leg, a massive swirl of wind kicked up dust and leaves. Keitaro then vanished.

It took a while for the reality of it to sink into everyone that Keitaro had just disappeared. While most of the onlookers just stayed rooted to the spot, Motoko, Yoko and Tsuruko all ran forward to see what had happened. Reaching the point of vanishment, they all looked around and called his name, trying to locate him. All of a sudden Motoko and Tsuruko looked to the sky in shock. Yoko stood behind them in confusion. He pulled on Motoko's top. When she didn't respond, he pulled on it again.

"OI! What's going on?"

Motoko didn't look at him but kept gazing at the sky. "We felt a brief spike in Keitaro's energy. It was many kilometres above our heads. He must have jumped but such leg strength needed to do what Urashima has just done is unheard of! Since you and him first arrived back he has not stopped astounding me! That black dot, over there, at 2 o'clock. That is Urashima."

Yoko squinted and he could make out a small human shaped thing flying away into the distance. Shaking his head, he looked back down at the sisters. They were talking quietly between themselves. When they noticed Yoko look at them, they turned away and ignored him, walking back into the house. Moving to stand in front of the amazed girls still on or in front of the couch, Tsuruko cleared her throat. They looked up at her slowly, still wondering about everything that was happening. As Tsuruko was about to speak, Kitsune quickly cut her off.

"What was that? Like, with you, Keitaro 'n' Motoko. Ever since only recently, things have been getting weird. All of a sudden Keitaro is kicking ass over samurai girl, he's way more collected and I haven't seen him fall into Naru's tits in about three weeks. The way he's been talking and acting, avoiding us and everything… if I didn't know him for who he is, I would almost say he's depressed! And we're not talking the pissy little 'oh hell my life is so poo' depression. I'm talking, 'I wanna finish this shit' depression. Hell, I think he's even worked out about Shinobu's massive crush on him."

Shinobu instantly dropped her head in shame, a bright red filling her cheeks. Kitsune pressed on, ignoring the young girls embarrassment.

"Now, I may be a party girl but I also can tell when something's up. That is not the Kei-kun I new. And with you always seems to come trouble of some sort so please, before you decide what's best for us or before you tell us what those weird flying sheets on the TV were, I want you to tell us everything you know about what is going on with our Keitaro."

Naru looked up defiantly. "Even if he is a pervert of unparallel proportions, he is still so unfortunately our manager. With him as he is nothing seems to be working as smoothly as it should be. Therefore I completely agree with what Kitsune-san just asked. What is going on?"

A little noise of agreement came from the group, even a small 'please' from Shinobu. Sighing in defeat, Tsuruko looked over at Motoko. "I will tell them the story. You go now and start home. I will stay here and protect the girls."

Motoko began to say something but a sharp "GO!" had her running out the destroyed door. Turning back to face the group, Tsuruko took a seat in front of them.

"Now, I must warn you that everything I will tell you will sound like a lie. But I assure you on my honour that it is the truth. These are the words Keitaro used to tell me his story with, as accurately as I can remember them. I will start by telling you that as you guessed, he is not the Keitaro you remembered. He is different now. Far more so than anything I could have imagined. That person that just jumped to the other side of the country is a result of millions of years of training and honing of skills. Keitaro is immortal. He lived many millions of years. And after discovering the secret of time manipulation, he has come back, bringing with him a deadly enemy. This Keitaro is from the future and those poltergeists you saw on the TV were what he so regrettably brought back. They are a failure of human cloning and now exist only as parasites, feeding on humans to survive."

From the puzzled looks on the girls faces and the annoying hand in the air from Kitsune, Tsuruko guessed that they didn't believe her in the least.

"Uh, sorry but you said you swear on your honour? You might as well pull that card of honour out and tear it up into little bitty shreds cause that cannot be true."

Tsuruko sighed.

--

Keitaro flew through the air, eyes unfocused and slowly loosing sanity. Throughout the entire jump, abnormal and erratic bursts of highly concentrated Ki fired out of Keitaro, striking anything within range, instantly incinerating it. His mouth moved slightly, repeating his mantra over and over.

"I can save them. I can save them. I can save them. I can save them."

Falling through the clouds, he saw the ground coming up quickly. Ignoring the drop, Keitaro used his hight as a vantage and quickly looked around for the spirates. Seeing a few in the distance, a maniacal look replaced everything as the target registered.

"There you are…"

An ominous boom sounded out. Cars and buses all skidded around, honking and crashing into each other as the shock wave flung dust and debris into the air. After what seemed like an eternity, all the noise shushed. No birds called. There was no talking. No car noises or anything. Because over it all, a soft, child like laughter dauntingly wove its way through the translucent air. The people involved looked around nervously, trying to discern where the laughter was coming from. A few of the ones with keener hearing began moving towards the side of the road. Still unable to see anything more than a few meters ahead of them, they walked slowly. After about 20 or so meters in, the ground abruptly stopped. A few more meters in was where the laughter originated from. One of the bigger men called out in an echoing voice.

"Who is in there? Are you OK?"

A freak gust of wind quickly blew all the dust away. In the centre of the 4 meter deep crater stood a very normal young man. Dark hair, glasses apparently with jeans and a t-shirt. Maybe a slightly more toned than normal body but other than that…

The people who had gathered at the edge began talking with each other quietly. Was it just the light or was the boy glowing a deep ethereal purple? The man called out again.

"Boy? Are you ok?"

The laughter stopped and a soft voice took its place. Everyone strained to hear what was being said. Slowly the voice began to get louder. It sounded something like "I can save them… I can save them… I can save them."

The man called out once more. "BOY?"

A powerful wind instantly pushed against all the onlookers as the boy turned his head slowly around. A few of the women gasped when his eyes came into view. There was nothing in them. No sanity, nothing. Just big, unfocused brown eyes. They rotated slightly, independent of each other. Trying to focus, a big, unnatural smile came onto his face. A little voice, some how in their heads had them all looking round.

"_I__…__can save__…__them__…__I can__…__will__…__kill__…__I__…__save them__…__I can__…__kill them__…__I__…__I will__…__KILL THEM.__"_

The voice was then replaced with a deafening shriek, causing everyone in the area to clap their hands over their ears in agony. Their bodies shook violently and they all began to cough and gasp for air. Men and women alike began to scream, the pressure in their heads the noise created quickly becoming too powerful for them to tolerate. One by one they began to drop to their knees as the sound increased in intensity and pitch. An unbearable burning sensation in every bone of their body spread through them all, arms and legs going weak as the feeling became too much. Quickly the noise became an inaudible, ultrasonic screech, the pained yelping of dogs echoing from kilometres away. Several vomited as their stomaches involuntarily convulsed, muscles spasming as an unknown force dragged its way through them. Keitaro's unfocused eyes watched on and his smile grew bigger and more insane as more and more of them dropped.

"I will kill them… I will KILL them… spirates… all spirates will die… I WILL KILL THEM!!"

--

A/N - …I didn't even see this one coming. :P got lead where it wanted I guess. I have no idea what's gona be in the next chapter, But I think it will be good :D


	16. Chapter 16

Well, I'm not sure how this chapters going to work out. Its as much a surprise for you as it is for me :) hope you like it

I own nothing

**Chapter 16**

Grass whistled as a blurred figure streaked past. The multicoloured form dodged through trees and buildings, occasionally leaping off branches and baloneys to gain those precious extra few meters.

Muttering to herself, Tsuruko raced onwards. "How could I have been so stupid as to have let Keitaro go off like that? Clearly something was wrong with his mental health! I shall surely discipline myself when I return home."

The reason for the samurai's rapid movement was caused by an uncontrolled and powerful Ki that had flared about an hour ago. Just after having tried explaining the current situation to the inn mates, with varying degrees of success, the woman had nearly been knocked off her feet from the shear intensity of a Ki wave that had hit her. Instantly recognising as the managers, she had taken off as quickly as she could possibly move. Finally, she had come to the area where she had felt the spike originate from.

Landing with a dull thud on the bitumen, the swordswoman quickly surveyed the mess. Cars were scattered everywhere, skid marks replaying the courses of mayhem of the hour past. Slowly picking her way through the chaos, Tsuruko looked around cautiously. There was no noise, save for a low whistle as the wind drifted through the metal. Hand on sword hilt, she came upon a fallen crowd of people. Quickly looking for any danger, she dropped to one knee beside one of the women. Lifting up the slight lady, she tapped her cheek to try wake her. After a few moments, a pained groan escaped her mouth and her eyes flickered. Trying to open them, they quickly were shut tight with a squeal of pain. Digging the palms of her hands into her eyes, the young lady groaned in agony. Tsuruko looked on in worry.

"What's wrong miss? What happened here?"

The woman groaned again and coughed. "I don't know. Who are you?"

"Tsuruko Aoyama. Leader of the Gods Cry School. Can you remember anything at all?"

The woman shook her head gently, clearing her thoughts. "Umm… all I can remember is the pain… a terrible burning pain in every single bone in my body. My throat began to vibrate and shake and my lungs didn't seem to work properly. My arms and legs went weak as my entire body felt like it was being dragged backwards by some invisible force… and then the headache. Oh the pain of it! It was like a giant migraine that wouldn't ever end! I remember dropping to my knees and then nothing."

Tsuruko looked up. Most of the other people were stirring, soft groans coming from the ones more awake.

'It sounds like a sonic wave hit everyone.' She mused. 'How on earth did Urashima manage to generate that? They should all be alright thankfully. I must find Keitaro now though before he dose irreparable damage.'

Lying the woman back down onto the ground, Tsuruko smiled gently. "Listen, I must be off now but I assure you help is on the way. The paramedics are close by, can you hear the sirens? You just stay put and they will see to it that you are cared for."

Standing, Tsuruko quickly felt around for Keitaro. Sensing him a few kilometres away, she frowned. "This is bad. His energy is completely rampant. I must stop him!"

Running forward, Tsuruko kicked off the lip of the crater and launched herself high into the air.

--

A fearful child cowered under a fallen fence as the demon man walked past. An erratic light seemed to flash from his body, striking things as his aura spasmodically flared. Deranged eyes flickered all around, looking for these things that he kept calling 'spirates'. A small flicker in the shadow of a fallen house and the demon man jumped 15 feet into the air unleashing a deluge of bright exploding lights down upon the movement. Landing gently, he walked up to it and disappeared into the dust. A digging sound came from behind the screen for a few seconds until he walked out, holding something. The child pulled himself under the fence as far as he could go without making a noise, terrified he would be the next victim. The man walked past, his soft footsteps seemingly penetrating through the ground. A wet splat sounded out as the man continued walking, missing the child as his roaming eyes continued searching. As the steps got further away the boy fearfully looked out. His eyes widened as they came to rest on the charred, bloodied corpse of a small animal, indiscernible as a dog, cat or otherwise. Bile rising in his throat, he quickly scampered back into his shelter, hands over his head and began praying desperately that this would all soon end.

Keitaro continued along. His quiet footsteps made only the slightest noise as he searched for his pray. When he had arrived, his horrified eyes had been greeted by the sight of spirates swarming over the entire town, dividing everything insight, including animals. He had charged into the mess, a sphere of pure black encasing his body. Anything or anyone in his way was instantly incinerated by the deadly touch of his energy. Reaching the centre of the village, Keitaro raised his hands and called on every ounce of Ki he held within himself. Concentrating in, he found every single living things energy signature, human, spirate or animal. But in his maddened state, he saw nothing as it should be. He saw energy, undistinguished energy all around him… all of it spirates. Forehead creasing into a frown, Keitaro clenched and wave after wave of inescapable Ki poured from him, everything within 400 meters of him instantly wiped from the face of the earth. Spirates that had been out of range of the explosion instantly fled, the sight of the giant ball of death rendering even their small minds white with fear. Holding the ball for a few seconds, Keitaro lowered his hands and the energy quickly dissipated into nothingness. The energy output Keitaro had emitted had carved a 100 foot deep crater into the earths crust. He floated in the air for a few seconds before he began to drop. A deep crunch echoed out as he landed, broken pipes and rocks dissolving under the impact with the unnaturally hard feet of Keitaro. Walking out of the hole, he looked around cautiously. Eyes looked around independently of one another, searching for the spirates. He began walking down the quiet road stopping only when something caught his eye.

--

Tsuruko landed softly and surveyed the destruction. A giant crater was carved out of the ground where the main street once ran. Trees and houses were blown over, an incredible wind flattening them. A dark cloud hung over the town; an ominous feeling pushing down upon the ruins.

Tsuruko looked around cautiously. There wasn't a noise to be heard or movement to be seen. Anything that had lived in the area had either fled the battle ground or come to meet something much worse. The samurai began to move down the street, sword drawn and at the ready. Her nose crinkled as she walked, dead animals littering the streets. About two or so kilometres up the road was Keitaro's wild energy, unpredictable peeks and flares springing to life now and then.

Cautiously making her way forward, the samurai kept to the shadows, lowering her Ki so Keitaro didn't notice her. Fairly quickly she made her way to a shaded spot, not too far from where Keitaro was walking. The soft mutterings and spasmodic movements were more than enough of a sign that something was terribly wrong.

'He seems completely detached from the world. What is he doing?'

Suddenly Keitaro reacted. Spinning around, he fired off several Ki shots straight at Tsuruko. Eyes widening, the samurai only had moments to react before they hit her. Smoothly bringing her blade through the first dark ball, she parried the next into the sky and jumped, the following two disappearing into the ground. A second paused and then the ground heaved upwards before collapsing inwards, a deep ominous boom rocking the earth. Tsuruko landed lightly, breathing heavily, adrenalin rushing and eyes wide.

"What in the Gods names…?"

Eyeing the dust plume, Keitaro walked into the dirty air. Scratching around for a second, his shadowed figure stood up.

"Where have you gone, Spirate?"

Tsuruko's eyes narrowed. "Spirates? There are no spirates here."

"SPIRATE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The abnormally loud shout momentarily deafened Tsuruko. Looking up, she saw Keitaro had left the dust and was looking around, eyes wild.

Normally, Tsuruko would have gone in silently and tried to take the target out in one swift movement but the memory of her blade through Keitaro's chest flashed in her mind. Keeping low, she considered her options.

'Keitaro obviously has gone insane. He can't tell friend from foe and seems driven to kill everything. Should I try and take him out he would pick me apart even though my blade could very well be lodged in his head. I could try negotiate with him but the chances of him actually comprehending what I'm talking about is slim… besides, he's extremely jumpy and he might kill me just out of reflex. What should I do…?'

Keitaro's insane eyes darted around wildly. Looking everywhere at once and nowhere in particular, he searched for his pray.

"Keitaro."

Whipping around, he spied a tall spirate, with long green hair and sharp eyes.

"There you are…"

Stalking forwards, Keitaro began his advance on is kill.

"Keitaro, wait!"

"Why should I wait for the destruction of mankind? I'll kill you all now and be done with it."

"Even if it involves killing humans to accomplish this?"

Keitaro paused. "Humans are what I am to protect. You filth are a plague that I must eradicate."

Keitaro watched carefully as the now womanly shape of the spirate began walking towards him, hands palm out, showing no weapons.

"Keitaro, you have become a raging machine. You have killed animals in your search for the spirates yes? I saw them back down the street."

Keitaro nodded slowly. "Yes, it seems that they were in the process of dividing when I caught them."

The tall woman continued forward slowly, hands still out showing no weapons. Her face and body slowly became more distinguished as she moved through the dust. "Say they weren't dividing. What if you had killed them while they were hiding?"

Keitaro shook his head. "If they were hiding they must have been spirates. Everyone knows to get into the open to avoid spirate attacks. That's general knowledge. Why are you asking these questions spirate?"

The woman moved in even closer, to within a few meters of Keitaro. There was something different about this one. It seemed more solid and he remembered the face from somewhere.

"Because you killed animals. Not newly dividing spirates but actual animals. I have thankfully yet to find any humans you have killed. Though I'm not too sure that you didn't kill any. I know you did it. I know you did it because you nearly killed me."

Keitaro nodded slowly. "Of course. You're a spirate. You must die."

Springing into action, Keitaro dashed forwards. Head low, his fist glowed a deep purple as Ki gathered around the limb. Bringing his weight forward, Keitaro grunted as he hit Tsuruko. A dull thud was heard and Tsuruko's face became one of shock and pain. Keitaro grinned darkly and pushed harder into her stomach. But as he pushed, he found to his surprise that there was no substance there. Swinging through, the air whistled as Keitaro's charged fist swung through air. His eyes widened and he danced back quickly, every nerve on end.

'What just happened… There should have been an explosion of fire and ashes…'

A pair of delicate hands wrapped their way around Keitaro's shoulders, fingers and thumbs finding powerful pressure points around his collar bone socket. Eyes widening in pain, Keitaro howled.

"LET GO SPIRATE!! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF ME!!"

Struggling feebly through the pain, Keitaro tried his best to free the grip but slowly dropped to his knees as the fingers nearly touched underneath his bone. Blood began to trickle down his chest, his clothing absorbing the drips. Growling bitterly, Keitaro panted through the pain, "Fine spirate. You win. But I will find a way to come back and destroy you. No matter how you kill me."

Tsuruko pondered all this cautiously, not letting up on the powerful hold. 'He still believes me to be a spirate, though I am holding him as solidly as anyone would. Has he also forgotten about what time era he's in, as well as him being an immortal? How shall I restore his mind?'

Struggling more, Keitaro's eyes began to blaze with a dark fury. "Release me now spirate or I turn us both to dust."

Thinking quickly, Tsuruko leaned in close to Keitaro's ear.

"Keitaro. I am not a spirate. Have you not told me that spirates are a shadow of the human genome, more ghost that person? If that is correct, how am I holding you so?"

Keitaro stopped struggling briefly. "Because you have a new strain within your body allowing you to communicate with me as a normal person, as well as a denser form allowing you to make contact with me. Basic evolution."

Keitaro's voice then grew deeper and quieter. "Now, release me. Because I can put you through so much agony before I kill you that hell would be the relief to my torture."

Tsuruko felt the muscles under Keitaro's skin begin to tighten. With no time to think about what she was saying, Tsuruko let fly. "HOW COULD I BE A SPIRATE IF I'M HOLDING YOU LIKE THIS? HOW COULD I HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE OF A HUMAN IF I AM A SPIRATE? HOW COME I HAVN'T TRIED TO DIVIDE YOU ALREADY IF IM A SPIRATE? WHY DON'T I KNOW HOW I GOT HERE, TO THE 21ST CENTURY, IF I'M A SPIRATE? How come I can't get through to you even though I'm a human? How come you won't snap out of it? Please Keitaro! Please, stop this now!"

Keitaro's dark mind struggled with Tsuruko's questions. Spirates had killed everything hadn't they? But how was this now very familiar woman holding him have survived? Unless…

His mind continued its silent battle, eyes flickering from one non-existent object to the next. Tsuruko's ears began to ring as a space around Keitaro's head seemed to throb gently. Taking a step back, Tsuruko held her hands to her ears as the ring grew louder. Keitaro had stopped moving, his body in a position that seemed like he should be falling forward. The air around Keitaro's head began to pulsate more violently, a deep baritone joining the ringing.

Pushing her hands to her ears harder, Tsuruko let out a whimper as her ears popped. 'This is agony! I cant even think straight… arrrRRRRAH!!'

Sinking to her knees, face screwed up in torture, Tsuruko gave into the pain. A small shriek snuck out of the normally restrained swordswoman as the now defining ring increased. Just when Tsuruko thought her head would explode, it all stopped. Releasing her ears and dropping to her hands, Tsuruko kneeled there, panting as the pain slowly subsided. She heard a dull thud in front of her but didn't look up. She new it was Keitaro who had just fallen into the grass.

Several minutes passed before Tsuruko could look up. When she finally could, her unfocused eyes tried to concentrate on Keitaro's immobile body in front of her. Crawling forward, she rolled him over. His face was pale and his eyes were glazed. Taking up his wrist, she checked for a pulse. Still strong. Cupping his face in one hand she brought the other down with a loud slap. Waiting a few seconds, the samurai repeated the process. Again she waited. When Keitaro didn't respond again, she brought her hand down for a third time. This time though, a strong hand gripped her wrist, preventing another stinging slap.

"Thankyou Tsuruko but I'm sure I'm awake now."

Kneeling back, she watched as Keitaro pulled himself up, rubbing his cheek.

"Are you back now?"

Keitaro nodded. "What happened? I remember fragments of things but the last clear memory I have was back when I was about to leave the inn. What happened from then?"

Tsuruko shook her head. "It's best that you don't know. No questions. But just remember this that when this is over you and I are going to have a sit down and talk. I only council the worst of mental depressions and insanities and I'd say you definitely need a talk."

Keitaro bowed his head. "That bad hey? But tell me this at least… did anyone get hurt?"

Tsuruko shook her head slowly. "No. Not that I know of. Though a few will have a migraine for the next day or so."

Keitaro nodded thankfully. "I think that is enough information to keep me satisfied for the moment. So what are we doing here? Where are the Spirates?"

Tsuruko shrugged. "I am not too sure. By the time I had arrived the village was deserted of any type of life."

Keitaro nodded slowly. Looking around, he searched for any sight of the Spirates. The soft whistle of wind through the buildings and trees revealed nothing. Searching out with his sensors, Keitaro did a quick search for any life. Aside from the bugs and things in the earth, there was no life within 200m of their spot. Sighing in relief, Keitaro relaxed.

A terrifying scream sent shivers down both their spines and they looked up to see a spirate barrelling in from the sky.

"Damn it why didn't I check up?!"

Firing off a ki blast into the ghost, a shriek sounded out and soft ashes began floating down. Taking a deep breath, the two of them looked around.

Suddenly Tsuruko shouted, "KEITARO! BEHIND YOU!"

Spinning around with arm out stretched, Keitaro began charging another ball.

"Filthy spirate scu…"

A smoggy, cold mist entered into Keitaro's nostrils as he took a breath. His eyes widened as he felt the vile fog spread through his lungs and move into his blood stream.

'No, no , no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO!!'

Turning to look at Tsuruko, Keitaro realised that this could be the last of his life. Relief from everything. But not before blistering agony.

Quickly talking to Tsuruko, Keitaro told her what would happen. "Ok I just inhaled a spirate. That gives us about 30 seconds before I start to divide. Basically I will begin to draw apart into several spirates. Now, what you need to do is when you see me divide, fire off one of your hidden techniques into me. That will turn the wisp into ashes and prevent it ever maturing. Now, make sure you DO NOT MISS EVEN ONE. The spirates use DNA to replicate and build more of themselves. Should any wisps get away with my immortality gene in them the result could be disastrous. And one last thing, tell Narusegawa tha… **ARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!**"

Screaming in unparalleled torture, Keitaro collapsed to his knees and gripped his head. Dragging his fingers down the side of his face, deep gouges into his skin healed up just as his fingernails cut into his skin. He continued screaming, ripping hair from his head and grinding his palms into his eyes, trying to stop the massive headache that split his brain in two. Blood began dripping from his eyes and nose as blood vessels haemorrhaged under the pressure of Keitaro's now sky rocketing pulse. Tsuruko looked on in horror as she watched the unfolding scene.

'This isn't what he told me would happen! What is going on inside him?'

Clutching his gut, Keitaro screwed his bleeding eyes shut tight as the most painful wind pains hit him. 'I can practically feel my insides rip…AHHHHHHHHH!!'

A bone chilling shriek of excruciating agony pierced the air as a sharp ripping sound accompanied it. Tsuruko cupped her hand to her mouth and dry reached as she saw Keitaro's stomach distend and instantly become covered in a multitude of blues, reds, yellows, purples and blacks, all changing colours as the now ripped internals of Keitaro began to spew blood into his stomach cavity.

Dropping to his knees, Keitaro continued screaming as small goosebumps began running all over his skin. They darted around like little bugs underneath his skin, criss-crossing and moving in all directions. Soon after that pores on Keitaro's body began to open up, and expel a strange white mist. A whistling sound began to chirp as the mist pushed at the openings, the holes not big enough to let it all out. As Tsuruko watched the nauseating scene, she began to hear another scream mix in with Keitaro's.

"…The spirate?"

Quickly the second scream became louder than Keitaro's already deafening roars as the steam from Keitaro's skin increased in pressure. The pored bulged outwards as the pressure under them increased, forcing the mist out of his body and into the air. Just when Tsuruko thought it wouldn't end, the whistle and scream of the spirate began to rapidly decrease while Keitaro finally began to catch his breath between agonised yells. The patches of hair on Keitaro's head where he had ripped clumps of it from quickly regrew back to its original length. His stomach began to shrink and the immense bruising quickly faded to nothingness. Falling to his side, the echoing scream of the spirate disappeared into the buildings as Keitaro lay shivering, a pool of his sweat and blood running out from under him. His unfocused eyes were half closed as he twitched and shivered, his hair plastered to his face in a cold sweat.

Wearily, Tsuruko made her way towards Keitaro. Looking over cautiously, she gently called to him.

"Keitaro… is it all over?"

Keitaro nodded spasmodically as his muscles convulsed. Moving in, Tsuruko quickly wrapped one of her shirts around him and picked him up. His cold, clammy skin felt even worse than a dead persons. Pulling Keitaro into her body for warmth, Tsuruko whispered into his ear softly.

"Rest now Keitaro. I will take you back to the inn now. It is over."

Moving quickly, Tsuruko ran smoothly down the street before jumping up, off buildings and towards the Hinata Inn.

--

A/N - I am so sorry this has all taken so long. For those of you who are still reading my story I thankyou so much. Life has been throwing me many curveballs and I have hardly had the time to even think about writing let alone get around to it. Anyway, I hope this chapter will keep you interested for a while longer now.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

'...oh...my...body...what happened...'

Slowly his vision retuned. Granted he was looking at the underside of his eyelids but he could see. He didn't try opening them.

'...that's right...the spirate...I survived...shame. How much of me though?'

Slowly Keitaro began searching out through his body. Head was definitely there. Neck too, judging by the cramped, kinked feeling one gets with his head resting on a weird angle. Torso was all there and feeling ok. His heart was pumping away faithfully, like it had for a millennia. Arms were attached as were his hands... they were feeling surprisingly warm. Squeezing gently, immediately the warmth in his right hand left while the others pressure tightened exponentially.

'Ok. That had to be Shinobu in my right hand and Su still crushing my left.'

Feeling all the way down, he felt his legs. They were tingly, like they hadn't been used in days. Ears seemed to be working too because muffled voices started to break into his dark mind. Inwardly sighing at the unwanted noise, Keitaro figured he had nothing else to do. Focusing on the noises, he began to decipher the voices.

"Hey ya's Keitaro wake up already! You've been asleep too long!!"

Su.

"Senpai... Senpai? P-please wake up! Everyone is so worried about you and were all so scared... we need you here with us! I've been trying to be brave but it's so hard..."

Little Shinobu.

"You there geek? Come on wakie wakie, there's things I think you need to see on T.V."

Kitsune.

'...but where are the other voices?'

Slowly working up the strength, Keitaro mustered everything he could and opened his eyes.

"Ohhhh... that smarts..."

Everything was blurred at first. Everyone had grown quiet waiting to see what would happen. Squinting slightly, he realised something.

"Glasses please?"

A pair of soft hands gently placed them on his nose. Wriggling them into position, he took a now much clearer look around. Shinobu was backing away shyly, hoping he would say something but at the same time praying he wouldn't so she wouldn't be embarrassed.

Keitaro smiled. "Thank you Shinobu."

The girl instantly went bright red and muffled out an 'it's ok'.

Looking to his left, Su sat there wide eyed, smiling massively, immensely happy her most favourite manager was now awake. Back a bit stood Kitsune, Mutsumi, Yoko and Naru. They were all smiling and looking on eagerly. Naru took a step forward and went to say something, but fell back and said nothing. Keitaro though caught her thought.

'_I really would like to say 'Oh I love you I'm so happy your awake!' ... But then everyone would think I'm weak. Besides, he's just a massive idiot. Hmm.'_

Keitaro's nose wrinkled as he heard it. 'Wow... I really had no idea she was so protective of herself. I'll talk with her about that later.'

Over in the back corner stood Motoko and Tsuruko. Tsuruko was looking as stern as ever but Motoko had a new look of awe in her eyes, even if her face didn't show it. Clearly she had been filled in on what happened. Keitaro sighed. More trouble.

Finally, Haruka was standing in the back corner, pencil hanging out the side of her mouth. Clearly she was itching for a smoke.

Sitting up, slowly, Keitaro took a breath and looked at them all. "Hey guys... how are you all?"

Kitsune dropped a hand to her hip. "Yea we all seem to be goin' ok. Too bad the world outside seems to be fallin' apart as we know it."

Before she could say anything, Yoko grabbed her and pulled her into the corner. "Don't you possibly think it's a bit early to be telling him this? He did only just wake up like, 30 seconds ago."

Walking back over to the wide eyed Keitaro, Yoko smiled innocently. "Don't worry about that at the moment. It's just some things falling off back at the dorms. I've fixed them as best as I can but you're far better at that than I am so we'll need you to touch up my mess."

Keitaro nodded, but after thousands of years of experience at reading people's faces, it was almost second nature to him to work out something was off. Shuffling up a bit straighter, Keitaro saw a dark shadow appear behind the door. A deep frown crossed his face as the door opened. In stepped a doctor, all smiles and hello's to the girls. But something was wrong. Really wrong.

Turning to the girls, he smiled and called their attention. "Hello all! Um, I'm dreadfully sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have some extremely important matters I must discuss with master Keitaro in private. So if that's all, I would ask you to make your way out for the day."

Smiling broadly, he motioned towards the door. Most of the girls just shrugged, waved goodbye to Keitaro and wished him better before making their way out. Only Yoko and Naru waited that bit longer.

Yoko walked over to Keitaro's bed and punched him gently. "Get better soon thug."

Pulling back, he sent Keitaro a quick message. _"Watch this guy. Something seems a little out with all his smiles."_

As he started walking away, Keitaro nodded. _"Yes I noticed. I'll be on my guard. Don't stray too far away from the hospital. And you can't hide that something is wrong outside. We are telepathic remember. Tell Motoko to get all the girls back to the dorm as quickly as possible. Also, ask Tsuruko if she would stay behind with you. I'll be out as quickly as I can."_

Yoko looked over his shoulder and nodded. Smiling politely at the Doctor as he went past, he made a gagging action as he walked out. Keitaro chuckled as he disappeared through the door. Looking over, the doctor was talking with Naru quite heatedly.

"Look, I've already asked you three times, please leave! I have much to discuss with Keitaro!"

Naru remained defiant. "WHY? WHY SHOULD I LEAVE? I'm just as much apart of this and anything that happens to Keitaro directly effects me so I think I should be able to sit in and listen to!"

The doctor looked at the ground. Very quietly, he spoke to her as he stared back up into her eyes. "Miss. You will leave the grounds right now or I shall have you escorted from them forcibly and permanently. Do I make myself clear?"

Naru began to complain when a strong hand wrapped itself found he arm and began dragging her away.

"Just leave it Naru. If you screw this up you and Keitaro won't be talking for a while."

Naru glared at Haruka but gave in to the strength of her pull. She shot the doctor one last evil look before haughtily striding out of the room. Haruka followed her with a bored look on her face. She pulled the door closed without looking back.

The doctor turned and smiled at Keitaro. "Good! Now that that mess has been cleared away, I have some _very_ interesting things I must talk with you about!"

Keitaro's stomach dropped several feet. 'Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...'

The still smiling doctor pulled a chair up besides the bed and spread several pages across the sheets, all with weird looking graphs on them.

"Now, you may be asking, what are all these? Well let me explain to you! While you have been in here, we have discovered some very important, not to mention mind blowing qualities you possess!!"

Keitaro's stomach felt like it had been run down with a steam engine and he broke out in a cold sweat. "S-surely you must be just over exaggerating. I have never been extra ordinary in any way before!"

The doctor laughed heartily and shook a finger at Keitaro. "Now now no need to lie! Clearly something like this could not have been missed! Unless of course this accident activated it in which case you are an extremely lucky young man! You see, during your stay here we took multiple blood tests and our scientists discovered possibly the most remarkable thing ever about your cells."

He pulled out a graph with lots of squiggly lines on it. "You see these lines? These red ones are a regular human metabolism. We call this the B.M.R. or 'The Basal Metabolic Rate'. Basically, an average woman's body produces about 65 watts of energy a day and the average for men is something closer to 70 watts. These are only averages though; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher for athletes or extremely active individuals. Some triathletes and ultra-endurance athletes may produce as much as 235 watts a day! It's incredible really just how much a human can differ from the next person."

He then pointed to some lines higher up on the graph.

"These here are the B.M.R. of smaller animals, such as small birds or rodents. You see here they are producing far more energy than humans, thus having an amazing metabolism rate when compared to humans. But the age old story rings true here. Live fast die young. These animals die very young, compared to humans, simply because of just how fast their cells work."

The doctor now began to get rather excited and fidgety as he grabbed two more sheets of paper. He placed a blank one above the previous one and then another one above that. Right up the top of the final piece of paper there was a line all alone. A shaking finger pointed unsteadily at it.

"This, master Keitaro, is YOUR Basal Metabolic Rate. It reads at an impossible 7,465 watts! We monitored you closely when we found this as it should have had to been a glitch. If any living thing had a B.M.R. as high as this they should have died within a few days of birth!!! But you Master Keitaro, are an incredibly unique find. You not only survive with this phenomenal rating, but thrive on it! As well as that, your body circulates its energy more efficiently than anything we have ever seen. It uses every bit of food and drink you take in till there is not a single drop of energy left in it. The energy then circulates around your body far longer than any human body should be able to retain energy! This is why that even though you run at a far greater energy output, you still only need to eat the same amount of food as an extreme athlete. Normally, excess energy is released as heat but not you. You have an amazingly steady body temperature. I'm guessing that not even time spent naked in the snow or weeks spent in the scorching desert would alter your 36.5 degree body."

Grabbing another piece of paper with a different graph on it, the doctor slapped it down. "Now here we find another, even more extraordinary quality about you!! Due to your incredible metabolism, your cells reproduce at an unparalleled speed. Basically this gives you an unlimited healing factor! You could heal from anything in a matter of seconds. Your white blood cell count and antibodies are at unbelievable levels. We tested your blood against every type of disease known to man and every single one of them was discovered, attacked and neutralised. But then what happened next still has me spinning off to the next planet! They detected any attributes the virus/bacteria/fungus had that they didn't have and CLONED THEM!!!! An example was that they took the mutating ability of the common cold and copied it! It is clearly the most remarkable medical phenomenon that has ever been discovered in the history of the human race! Alongside of this, I discovered that with close observation, it almost looks like the cells are itching to multiply! Like they still want to grow in size. It's difficult to explain but basically what I am trying to say is that if they were allowed, you would continue to grow in size and strength to an infinite size!!! I would speculate that the key to unlocking something like this would be the pituitary gland. If you could by some ridiculous possibility grasp that kind of control over your own mind you could very well make yourself grow at your own will!"

Keitaro laughed hesitantly. "Hahahaha but that's impossible! Everyone knows that humans can only control about 10% of their brain."

His laughing subsided as he realised the doctor wasn't laughing with him. 'Shoot... what does he know? I'm extremely surprised by this hypothesis though. It could actually be possible!'

This is when the doctor pulled out his last sheet of paper. On it was a cat scan of Keitaro's brain. Every area of it was a rainbow of colour.

"This is your cat scan. You control every single aspect of your brain. 100%. Every last cell you have knowledge of and can use. You cannot lie to me. I know you knew about this ability and quite frankly I am disgusted and appalled at you that you could even begin to think that you could hide such an important discovery from the human race. This is the fountain of youth. YOU are the fountain of youth. From what I have researched on you over the past week that you have been unconscious..."

Keitaro nearly jumped when he said this. 'A WHOLE WEEK I'VE BEEN UNCONSCIOUS???'

"...is that you are the cure for all diseases in this world. The only problem though is that when I extracted your blood and attempted to cultivate it, it self destructed. Everything that made your blood unique died within a day or two of it being drawn from you, leaving only normal red blood cells. This is why you are now to stay in this hospital. We shall be drawing blood from you to try and cultivate it and its qualities. Until such a day is reached you are not to leave this room until further noted."

Keitaro boggled at this. What just happened? He switched personality so quickly he didn't even see it coming! Also the doctor had just revealed some information he had never considered. Possible cellular growth resulting in increased body size and mass? Definitely an area to look into. He mentally tucked away that little piece of information for later processing.

Looking up defiantly at the doctor, Keitaro glared at him. "What right do YOU, a mere doctor, have to keep me here? What is your name anyway? You haven't even told me that about you. I am a free citizen of this country! This is a public hospital! I can leave when I want and I want to leave right now."

He began pulling off the sticky patches on his chest and extracting the catheters from his veins. The doctor sat back and watched him. "I have all right from the government. You no longer belong to yourself. You are now a property of the country and we will not be letting you go. I'm not telling you my name either because those girls were the last external contact you will ever have except through me. You will simply refer to me as Doctor and your new name is 'The Patient'."

Keitaro began to see red. This pompous know it all thinks he could just keep him here against his will? Even the doctors he had unfortunately had to deal with in the future had had better bedside manner than this quack. And they had been trying to chop off his arms while talking to him!! Balling up the sticky patches and catheters into a ball he chucked it at the doctor.

"Well excuse me _Doctor_ but I'm going now. You think I'm a disgrace? Take a good hard look at yourself because if you had just asked nicely I may have considered coming back in weekly to help you!! But now you can go blow it out your ear or any other orifice you desire because this is the last time we shall be talking. Good riddance to you and your kind."

Walking briskly towards the door, he opened it to face a wall. Stepping back slightly, he looked up. Two enormous men blocked the door. Each was wearing a custom black suit and shoes to fit their giant size. Keitaro would have liked to see their faces but they were hidden as both men stood a full head and a half taller than the already 6'9" doorway.

Growling softly to himself, Keitaro walked forward and slipped between them. He took two steps before a strong hand landed on either shoulder. The palm on one hand alone would have covered his entire face, chin to hair line.

"Sorry Patient but you cannot leave. Please return to your bed."

The doctors voice floated out the door. "Told you you couldn't leave."

Keitaro bristled. How dare he? HOW DARE HE???

The hands on his shoulders tightened as the bodyguards tried to pull him back. Tried.

They gave a sharp pull on the small mans shoulders but he didn't budge. It was like he was glued to the floor. They gave each other a sceptical look through their black glasses before moving to his sides. Each man put his other hand on Keitaro's shoulder and pushed harder. Normally that would have been enough to send a man flying through a wall but Keitaro didn't even seem to acknowledge their efforts. Putting a hand under his arms, they attempted to life him. One grunted as they began to strain to lift him. Their huge muscles bulged as Keitaro began to slightly lift off the ground. Just how heavy was this kid? As a team the two bodyguards had been known to lift a ton and a half between them but this weedy little thing was causing their legs to buckle under the weight! Totally focused on moving the boy, they failed to notice the small gust of wind begin to circle around the trio, slowly gain momentum.

"What's taking you two so long?! I hired you because you were the biggest and strongest bodyguards in the world! You two are not cheap you know? So do your job and pick him up already and bring him in!"

The frustrated doctor stood at the door, foot tapping impatiently.

"W-we're trying sir but he doesn't seem to want to move... He weighs a ton! Literally!"

Keitaro turned sharply, breaking the guards hold on his shoulders like they weren't even there. They quickly grabbed hold of him again.

"You miserable bastard. You think nothing about the feelings or wants of this creature you consistently refer to as 'The Patient'." Keitaro pretty much spat the word in the doctors face. "I AM A HUMAN. JUST LIKE YOU. No. No, I take that back. You imprison me as a hunter would an animal. You have lost the right to be a human."

One of the guards punched Keitaro in the gut. Hard. He doubled up, winded.

"You will not talk to the Doctor in that matter. Clear?"

Keitaro stood up slowly, eyes beginning to flash a soft red. The grip on his shoulders began to tighten till he felt his collar bones snap under the pressure. Pain darted around his eyes but not a single expression graced his face. The guards looked at each other unsurely. They had crushed the collar bones of countless men and even the very meanest of them had eventually succumbed to their power. But this lad, not much taller than their waist height, was taking it like they weren't even there.

Keitaro raised his arms till he had a solid placement on the stomach of the giants either side of him.

"You dogs are good at following orders. Follow this one and you won't get hurt. One chance. Let me go."

The guards stomached churned as Keitaro moved his arms up. They had felt the fractured bone shifting and snapping around under his skin. But they held on.

"Back to your bed Patient."

Keitaro's eyes flashed. 'You asked for it.'

Keitaro tensed and a gust of wind shot out from him. The doctor took a step back. He could have sworn that he saw an electrical discharge flicker around the boy.

"Let..."

"me..."

"**GO!!!!!"**

Pushing out with all his might, the two giants flew backwards and disappeared into the walls. An enormous thunder echoed out as two 250kg bodies hammered through wall after wall, bouncing and rebounding off the ceiling and floor. For a split second it stopped before a final nerve shaking crash was heard. The doctor took a horrified step backwards before turning and running to the barred window in the room. Pressing his face to the bars, he saw two huge men still flying away, their massive forms still ragdolling around, smashing through trees and shrubs. Taking a step back, the lights flickered for a second before dying. The alarm bells began to scream and the ceiling exploded in a monsoonal downpour of water. Faint screams were heard in the distance, people unlucky enough to be caught in the firing range of Keitaro's giants beginning to realise just what happened.

The doctors neck bristled furiously and he stiffened. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Keitaro standing there, shoulders hunched, hair slicked down over his face so only one eye could be seen. The pupil was dilated and if hatred had a physical form, it could be seen in his eyes. The doctor gasped in fear and backed into the wall with a slam.

Keitaro's head twitched spasmodically and his fingers cracked as his fists tightened. "I said you weren't fit to be called human. Now, I don't even think your fit to live."

Raising an arm glowing purple, the doctor grasped his neck and started gagging as his feet began to lift from the ground. Keitaro's eye twitched and he whipped his arm down. The doctor slammed into the ground head first with a sickening splat. Lifting his arm back up, the doctor hung there feebly clutching his neck, trying to release the pressure choking him. Blood flowed freely from his forehead, a massive gash opened up from the impact. Flicking his arm to the side, the doctor catapulted into the wall. Swinging his arm back the other way, the doctor flew to the other side of the room to smash into the other wall. The impact caused a crater in the plasterboard and he wheezed weakly as a rib broke. Flicking his arm once more, the doctor crashed into the floor before Keitaro's feet. Keitaro looked down in disgust at the mangled, broken creature. The doctors eyes had rolled back into his head, if you could even see them beneath the swelling and cuts. Snot and blood ran freely from his nose and mouth. His breathing was laboured and whistled, multiple ribs broken. His right arm lay at queer angles, dislocated at the shoulder and the elbow. His bleeding legs lay tattered upon the hard ground. Keitaro stepped over him and raised an arm slightly, pointing the open palm at his chest. Cold eyes looked down upon the broken man. Keitaro began to close his fingers and the doctors chest began to swell. Slowly, slowly, he squeezed his hand tighter and the man's chest continued to swell. An agonised scream began to echo out, the pressure pushing into the doctors mostly unconscious mind, filling it full of pain. Keitaro heard nothing though. His head ticked and cold emotionless eyes stared down.

"KEITARO!!!! NO!!!!"

A rolling punch thundered through and connected hard with Keitaro's face. His cheek bone shattered but by the time Keitaro whipped his head back up to confront the attacker, it had already healed. Stomping towards the person, a lightning fact hand whipped up and grabbed the attackers neck, instantly lifting him off the ground. Legs flailed and a pair of hands grasped desperately at the vice like grip at his neck.

"***COUGH* **KEITARO!! ***COUGH COUGH*** WH- ***COUGH*** WHAT ARE YOU DOING ***COUGH*** TO ME??"

The voice entered Keitaro's dark mind.

"Yoko!"

The vice grip instantly relaxed and Yoko fell to the floor coughing and gasping for precious air. Keitaro knelt beside him patting his back and repeating apologies over and over and over. After a good 30 seconds, Yoko finally managed to look up.

"What the hell were you thinking?!? I run in after seeing two giants go flying off into the sunset to see you bashing the life out of your doctor! Then you strangle me for stopping you? WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

Keitaro looked away ashamed. "I... I didn't... I... dunno. I... I'm sorry. Believe it or not, I was actually going to be held captive here because of what they found in my blood. He offered some interesting theories about what I could do, some I had never heard before, but he was obnoxious to a point I couldn't handle. Things started going a bit fuzzy after that but yeah, those two giants that crashed out, I did that."

Yoko gaped for a few seconds. He finally found his voice. "Y-YEAH HE MIGHT BE AN ASS BUT DOES IT REALLY WARRENT HIM BEING PRACTICALLY KILLED? THE BIG GUYS TOO??"

Keitaro cringed. He hated being shouted at but endured it. "I know I know I know. I'm sorry I know I'm not normally like this but for some reason I feel a lot more volatile than usual. The reason I ended up here was because I lost my mind. I nearly did again for some reason but you stopped it. I have NO idea why this happened though... all the other times after I lost it, I always managed to compose myself for another 200'000 years or so. I know it's no excuse though. It's disturbing me as to why I'm so unstable at the moment actually."

Yoko shook his head. "Nah dude. It's scaring me quite frankly. If... If more of this happens I don't know how long I'll wana hang around anymore."

Keitaro's gut dropped. 'No... no I can't lose him... I don't wana loose him... I WON'T."

Reaching out, he touched Yoko's forehead. He stiffened instantly upon contact as Keitaro entered his mind. Digging about, Keitaro made his way through the trillions of cellular pathways till he made it to his friend's memory segment.

'Ok... now to erase the last 5 minutes of our life"

He saw Yoko's memory flash up in front of his mind's eye. Flicking through the recent ones, he found the start of it just when Yoko saw the giants fly away.

'Ok I'll leave that one so he isn't too out of touch with time... here.'

Just as Yoko began to walk forward, Keitaro paused the memory. Keitaro reached out with his mind and touched the cell containing the memory. He invaded it and proceeded to corrupt the cell. Moving on, Keitaro moved through the memory, destroying individual cells one at a time. He flowed through them, not really paying attention to any of them till one caught his attention. The view was of a dark room with a shaded character standing over a trashed man in a bloody white coat. His chest was expanding as the shaded characters outstretched hand closed. A haunting echoing scream began to fill his mind, sending goosebumps down his neck.

"Keitaro! No!"

That voice echoed violently around his mind and the scene became jumpy as Yoko charged in. A fist appeared into view and connected solidly with the shaded man's cheek. The force threw his head away but it had already snapped back before the fist had retracted. Stalking over to Yoko a hand flashed out and instantly the view raised several feet. When Yoko's eyes looked down, Keitaro's heart froze. Memory paused, what Keitaro scared him even more than it scared Yoko. A face covered in deep shadow with wet hair slicked down all over his face glared up at his captive. The only visible eye stared up, cold and heartless. The pupil was small, tiny even. Veins stretched up from the edges of his eyes, insanity beckoning. There was no emotion in his eyes, no memory or restraint. All that was in Yoko's view was a murderer. All that was in his view was...

"Me?"

Keitaro went into shock for a moment. That was him? It had no resemblance to him at all! How could he look so cruel? And so evil? Right then Keitaro wished he had died at a normal age more than ever. Is this the result of living for eons? Is this a distorted personality that is created after seeing so many years of human sin? How could that have developed without his knowing? Keitaro had total control over 100% of his brain! Where could this have developed to such a grotesque extent? Mentally shuddering, Keitaro deleted it from Yoko's memory. Moving through and deleting the rest of the memories, Keitaro chewed heavily on his lip. Once Yoko was back to normal, Keitaro knew he had to find this thing and kill it. Ending the little session, Keitaro pulled away from Yoko's mind. Lifting his finger from Yoko's forehead, he managed a small, "Wha..." just as time stopped.

Keitaro sat for a second, thinking. What would he do when he got it? This will be like no physical fight he had ever endured before. Either way, he needed a secluded place far away from humans to finish this. He couldn't care less about his own body; that would heal despite anything. It was what his body may do during the self inflicted exorcism. Spirates were high on the agenda but this was now the newest priority. Standing up, he raised his left arm and time began moving backwards. He watched as Yoko fell up to his feet and a shadow of himself reach up to meet Yoko's neck. Closing his eyes in shame, Keitaro looked away as this section played. After a minute, he looked through one half closed eye. Thankfully, it was past the worst of it. Yoko had left the room and Keitaro was half way through slamming the doctor into the wall. Cringing at his own violent actions, he let it rewind a bit further just to where he was telekinetically holding the doctor up in the air after he threw him into the floor.

'That should be far enough. The guards are gone and this guy's got what was coming to him. Time to unfreeze everything.'

Relaxing, he let everything out of his grasp and time began ticking away like normal. As the doctor slumped to the ground concussed, Keitaro turned away and began walking towards the door. Just as his foot stepped through it, a migraine tore his brain in half. Screaming in agony, Keitaro dropped to his knees, fingers digging holes in his temple. Grotesque voices began laughing in the background as the severity of the pain increased. Squeezing his eyes tight, Keitaro screamed again. The laughing seemed to get closer and closer till it stopped briefly. Opening his eyes slightly, Keitaro stared at the ground panting. Just as he looked up, a vile, evil head screamed at him, **"YOUR NOT GOING TO GET ME!!! JUST DIE!!!!"** and then disappeared. Keitaro shrieked in fright and slammed into the door frame, rocking the whole building to its foundation from the impact. Sweat streamed down Keitaro's face as he began hyperventilating.

"What the HELL WAS THAT???"

Keitaro's powerful mind instantly began to run through possible ideas. A demon? Possibly. Tormentor? No, probably not. His imagination? Definitely not.

Panting heavily, Keitaro wiped a hand across a sweaty forehead and swallowed. Continuing to pant, he tried his best to control himself. That wasn't anything he had heard of before. That was the cruel, heartless face he had seen staring up into Yoko's eyes. That was him. Staggering to his feet, Keitaro began tripping and stumbling towards the front door through the noise and water.

-------

Outside, Yoko and Tsuruko were waiting for Keitaro when an explosion from either sides of the mental institution made the both of them jump. Tsuruko instantly grabber her sword while Yoko just fell to the ground. Looking up, he saw two huge men flying away in opposite directions, their flailing limbs tearing holes in shrubs and uprooting unluckier ones. Jumping to his feet, he was about to run into the building when the front doors blew off their hinges, landing several feet away. Keitaro stumbled out, covered in water and looking deeply distressed. Seeing his friend in such disarray, Yoko sprinted over to his side.

"Dude, buddy are you ok? What happened man? What's going on?"

Keitaro leaned on him for support but continued forward. He didn't say anything immediately so Yoko continued.

"Mate, I also didn't get to tell you this but you were actually in a mental institution. They said it was because the hospital was full but I think that's just a load of crap. Why did they take you there, did they say?"

Keitaro shook his head and moaned. Composing himself he looked up at Yoko. "Yoko! Thank goodness. Sorry, yes I thought it was a little more secure than a regular hospital but I can't really say why at the moment. Please, help me back to the inn. There is something I have to do right now. It's even more urgent than the spirates. I must get home!"

Yoko went cold but nodded never the less. For something to be troubing him this deeply it had to be something enormous. Motioning to Tsuruko for help, he grabbed at Keitaro as his legs buckled. Tsuruko sheathed her sword and ran over, sliding her elegant arm around Keitaro's waist. Hoisting him up, she took him out of Yoko's hands, holding him like a baby.

As Keitaro coughed violently, she looked at Yoko in concern. "He said we have to get him back to the house instantly. It sounds more important than anything he has said yet!"

Nodding once, Tsuruko turned and ran a few steps before taking a solid step and jumped high over the trees. Yoko was left standing there, shocked for a few seconds before starting to run after the disappearing samurai.

"OI! YOUR WERN'T MEANT TO LEAVE ME BEHIND! OIIIII!!!!"

----------

Landing at the door's of his inn, Keitaro slipped out of Tsuruko's arms. Leaning on her shoulders for support, Keitaro looked into her deep emerald eyes. "Please understand me, right now something deep within my own consciousness is stirring. It is dangerous and it frightens the life out of me. That creature you saw back when you found me in that village... that wasn't me was it."

Tsuruko took a moment. His sudden actions and this comment made her very wary of the boy. "No. No it was not. It was you... but there was something out. Aside from the fact you thought I was a spirate. Your Ki seemed darker, like your opposite. Right now it is churning and downright terrified of whatever this is but it's still filled with purity and love. What you were then was the opposite... corrupt and hateful. What are you going to do?"

Keitaro shivered and looked away briefly. "I- I'm going into the mountains behind the inn. I need to beat this thing so it can't take me over again."

Tsuruko put a finger under his chin and lifted it back up so she could see his eyes. "And if you don't?"

Keitaro shrugged unhappily. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll sever the nervous connections between my mind and my body. That's all I can think of at the moment. It will leave me trapped as a mind outside a body forever more but hopefully I won't have to do that."

Tsuruko stood tall. "Well Keitaro Urashima, if from what I have seen in these short days gone is any indication, I believe you are the only person that could beat this. Now go, we'll be needing you back as fast as you possibly can."

Keitaro smiled weakly. "Thank you. I'll be gone then. I can't give you any idea of how long I will be though sorry. Sometimes a single moment in a mind can pass as a whole day, or an entire life time in the blink of an eye. I just hope I will be home soon enough."

Tsuruko nodded. "I understand. Enough with the goodbye's now. Go!"

Keitaro nodded sadly and turned around. Looking off into the distance, the mountains rose tall on the horizon. "Such a beautiful sight... what is going on with the sky?"

Deep purple clouds hung over the inn. They churned around dangerously. Something was dreadfully wrong, Keitaro could feel it. Something was going to happen. He could only pray he would be able to get back in time to fight this new oppression. Starting to run, Keitaro quickly made ground to the back of the baths. Jumping to the roof, he kicked off and with an explosion of Ki at contact, Keitaro sailed into the distance.

--------

A/N - Well, thats a new chapter for all. I have no excuse for my delay. More that I just lost motivation after my brother wiped my attempt at this chapter from the computer several times. It was not until a recent letter from **Konanakt** that I started writing it again. So thankyou very much to you =) because of that, this chapter goes out to you.

For anyone who doesn't know, a tormentor is a character I created in another of my stories, 'The Secret Of Immortality'. We'll just pretend that Keitaro never was afflicted with it, just had seen and heard about it ;)

The information I got for the metabolic rate was from - wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_rate. There was another site but I forgot where unfortunately =( it shouldn't matter too much though because I got 90% of my info from here anywhere.

Anyway, I'll be off now. Thankyou for reading and following up on this seemingly dead story.

Lanky Nathan


	18. Chapter 18

I just thought up a KILLER way to end this fic!!! Don't worry though, the end isn't for a while yet so you can breath easy. Just letting you know so your all prepared for when the time comes!!! XD I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to see what happens!!!

Juno: Hey man thanks for the review! The dark Keitaro will still be around for a bit but don't worry I was already planning to work that out eventually in a way not yet known 0.0 gasp spoiler! Haha =P  
With your suggestion, do you mean an alternate ending with Keitaro and Yoko at Hinata-sou with no spirates what so ever? Yeah I guess I could contemplate it =)

Timberillo: Thankyou for the review! I'm so glad you liked it! It always gives me happy feelings when I know someone is enjoying my work =) And also, picking up on my grammar there. (actually I'm pretty sure I was already told about that once and I'm still doing it. D'OH)

HarimaHige: Its soo good to see your still following up on this story even after such a long wait!!! Thankyou for your patience with me in all my slackness. It means heaps. =)

Grey Mage: ...Read it again. Everyone else has seemed to have worked it out. But thanks for the review anyway!

I own nothing.

CONTINUE!!

**Chapter 18**

"This is ridiculous!!! Clearly there should be a lift here. What would old ladies do about something like this?!"

Yoko stumbled up the last stair of the massive walkway behind him. Sweat dripped off his brow as he looked back down them.

"I didn't have training that hard even back when I was in recruits..."

Standing up straight, he pushed his hands into his lower back, relishing in the unpleasant pops that sounded out. Taking a moment more to catch his breath, he walked into the Dorm. He moved around the numerous bodies that now filled the foyer of the once mostly empty Inn. Seeing a tuft of green hair over in the corner, he began to make his way towards his target. Nearing the tall woman, he saw her speaking quietly with three senior swordsmen. They were all listening to her lowered voice intently, occasionally nodding to some request or direction. Yoko paused near the coffee table, grabbing a cup of water and downing it thankfully. As soon as it had been replaced, it was taken up in a whirlwind of action as a small blue blur moved amongst the guests. Yoko chuckled and shook his head in pity. Poor little Shinobu had had her work cut out for her since nearly all of the master swordsmen and women had arrived from the Gods Cry school three days earlier. It may have only been about 20 people but that was still a rather large increase for the not overly massive dorm.

Looking back up, he saw the small group nod and disperse. Quickly, Yoko moved over to Tsuruko. Reaching her side, he tapped her shoulder. A weary eye turned to face him.

"Hey there Tsuruko. Um, just wondering if you could tell me what happened with Keitaro 'n' all after you jumped away. I kind of lost you there for a bit so I didn't really get to see where he went. I'd have a hard time finding him in this mess too so I thought I'd ask you."

Tsuruko sighed. She had been swamped with questions but never the less, she replied. "After I brought master Keitaro back, he said he had a personal evil he had to attend to. I assume it had to do something with his mental state. I can't say I was happy with him leaving on his own but he seemed more sure about this than anything in recent times. I let him go and he left immediately. He retreated to the mountains out the back of the land. He said he would not know when he would be home. Soon hopefully as my fellow swords people are getting restless. That and the unrest amongst them is increasing as this evil Chi continues to grow."

Yoko nodded. That was all he needed to know for the moment. "Thank you. Well, I'll leave them to you."

Tsuruko sighed unhappily as Yoko disappeared off towards the stairs. Barely a moment later, another elder tapped her shoulder, question imminent.

---------

Sliding through the sea of people, Yoko quickly found the stairs and slipped up them. Looking down at the over packed room, he shook his head, extremely grateful he wasn't in Tsuruko's shoes. Moving down one of the corridors, he came to near one of the end rooms. Walking in, he closed the door behind him and dropped to the ground with a sigh. Looking around, he saw a few of the other members of the house there with him. Ever since the takeover of the foyer, this room had become the new escape. Mostly soundproof, it provided some peace to the heavy breathing, talking and occasional burps and farts.

Motoko was taking it best. She had been told a few new things about Keitaro, such as his insanity flip her sister had temporally cured and the spirate attacks. The immortality and telekinetic powers parts were now only a small shock simply because she had had the time to get over it, seeming she had been told weeks earlier.

Naru was doing the same thing as she had been doing for the last week. Just sitting and not a lot else. Even a girl of her intellect found it hard to comprehend that her local manager was immortal, had an advanced grasp over his own mind and the abilities he unlocked, and that he had brought back, from the future, with him a plague that could wipe out life as known. So she was doing exactly what any normal girl her age would do. Sit cuddling her Liddo-kun and vegetate.

Kitsune's escape was similar to her normal escape, except she did it a lot more. Numerous empty bottles lay around her, all drained of their precious fluid. The group needed her though. She was the only one that was able to keep their spirits up with her jibes and jokes at the 'smelly old fluffy pants' that lived downstairs.

Kaolla Su had buried herself in her room. After hearing about the spirates and the qualities they had, the little molmolian princess had broken down. The other girls had put it down to her being able to understand everything on a much deeper level than anyone else, simply because of her incredible intellect. Once their weakness had been disclosed to them though, she had instantly dashed off to her room in a flurry of arms, legs and flying skirts. Night and day from then on for the whole week the noise hadn't stopped coming from her lab. Any plates Shinobu left at the door were found a few hours later licked clean.

Shinobu didn't even have the time to think about it anymore. For the first few days she had done nothing but mope around. It didn't overly surprise her that her beloved was immortal, nor the fact he had telekinetic and telepathic abilities. What got her the most was that her life was most probably going to be cut short by a painful death. And that she would never get to spend the rest of her life with Keitaro. But the day all the samurai turned up, her catering side overtook her and she had been running herself rugged for the full three days now. It worried the other girls to see her so exhausted at the end of a day but they knew that it was better than her slowly dying from the inside out because of grief.

Mutsumi had established herself of mother of the group. Anyone who needed reassurance, unconditional love, a confidence booster or just a hug, she was there. She took the position up easily, knowing full well how much the other girls needed it. Yoko too, though much less occasionally. The only reason of this was because she had taken him aside and had had a talk with him about all of this. Naturally, all the girls knew he was from the future but Mutsumi had taken special interest in him. He wasn't just in another country, he was in a whole other time. The stress on him would have been huge she reasoned and so made herself especially available to him. He had taken up the offer once for an uncertain talk about things but afterwards it was left at that.

Haruka was just Haruka. Her tea shop remained open despite the continuing growth of uncertainty in the world. She may have been an absolute mess of emotions; she may have cared even less about all this than anyone else in the house. Either way, no one really knew what was going on in her mind.

Mutsumi wandered in behind him and sat down alongside the other members. No one said anything for a moment.

Piping up, Mutsumi put in a cheery word. "My, hasn't it gotten busy downstairs! I can't even find my way to the front door without asking directions."

Yoko smirked. For the shorter woman, finding her way through the mass of bodies would have been challenging. Naru nodded numbly while Kitsune hiccupped and commented on a bug crawling across the floor. Motoko though seemed unsettled, fists clenching and unclenching the hem of her shirt. A small frown pressed itself into her brow, slightly distorting the normally flawless skin of her face. Finally making up her mind, she turned to Yoko.

Pausing a second, she mustered up some courage. "Yoko. I have question I would like answered about Urashima that you may be able to answer."

Looking up with interest, Yoko nodded. This was the first time the samurai had said more than a few poison tipped words to him.

Again pausing, she then continued. "What happened back at the institution? I detected a flare of Ki from Urashima but then for some reason it cut out. How I mean is that normally, one can sense the suppression of Ki. Even if it rapidly drawn in, you can still feel the drop. But just now with Urashima, it was growing, and then it was back on its base level. It is extremely difficult to explain but think of it like a string severed by a blade, such was the sudden... inexistence of it. After that, I detected some disturbance within Keitaro. I was hoping you could shed some light on this. I would have asked sister but she was instantly over powered by the samurai below that I let her be."

Yoko frowned, trying his best to recall what happened. "I honestly don't know about the first part of the question. Keitaro used his 8th sense? It could possibly have worked as a cut off... I'm not sure and I wouldn't think we will ever work that one out unless we ask Keitaro personally. Anyway, while I'm standing out there, I hear this crash and these two monsterly huge men barrelled out of the sides of the building! Keitaro said he did that but he didn't say why. Anyway, all he requested over and over was that we get him back home as quickly as possible. He was scared out of his wits and all sweaty and breathless. Weak too. I needed to help him stand till your sister picked him up like a puppy. Anyway, she then took off and left me in her dust. It's not fair how you guys can jump like that! Normal people like me have a hard time keeping up with you."

Motoko interrupted, slightly irritated. "I'm sure it's a problem you will live through. Do go on."

Yoko nodded quickly. "Right, right. Anyway, I get back here and Tsuruko's already inside talking with everyone. I asked her about it and she said she had brought him back a while ago."

Naru interrupted. "So where is he? Tsuruko's been back for at least 15 minutes now! I haven't seen his perverted face trying to snap his usual peep shows off of us."

Yoko sighed. "Ok, firstly, he is not perverted, we have already established that. Secondly, I was about to get to that part."

Naru bristled at his response but stayed quiet.

He continued. "Tsuruko told me that Keitaro had left the grounds immediately, for the hills over behind the inn's grounds. She said he was going on about finding a deeper evil or insanity or something in his mind. He was still really worried with the spirate activity going on but said that this was even more important. It had to be something pretty crucial because spirates have always been his number one focus. Anyway, just before he left, he said he didn't know when he'd be back, be it in an hour or week. Either way, I just hope he sorts himself out quick because with what's on the news lately, we don't have much time before this... something Keitaro is always on about happens."

Naru squeezed her toy tighter. "I hope he does..."

Kitsune looked up from her corner and smiled. "We all hope he does darling. Those poltergeists are scaring the shit out of me so fast I feel like I took one of Su's super laxatives. He does always bring a secure feelin' to the house though. Especially little Shinobu. She would have definitely wanted him here. Poor thing wouldn't have looked out of place with some razor blades in her hand those first few days."

The 4 other people in the room looked at her in shock.

"KITSUNE!"

She held her hands up defensively, chuckling to herself. "Awww come on you know I was just blowin' things out of proportion like normal. But seriously, I'm glad she didn't cook much for that bit."

More glares.

"But anyway, if it's still the same Kei that we all know, then he'll be back in time. Dunno what for or anything like that but he'll come back."

She burped gracefully. "Sake anyone?"

The group turned away from her and left her to the next bottle. They all looked at the ground in front of them unhappily. No one really knew what was going to happen. Just then, Motoko had a thought.

"Come to think of it, you all have not heard what happened after Urashima went off to the town on the other side of the country."

They shook heads and huddled into a closer group.

Motoko closed her eyes and continued. "It seems that he lost all rational thought as he made his way there. I was not totally surprised when my sister told me about it because of the highly erratic Ki flares he emitted."

Naru looked up irritated. "How come she told you that? Every time one of us asked about it she refused us and almost told us to go play elsewhere! It was so degrading being spoken down on like that!"

Motoko shrugged. "I can only guess her reasons. Continuing where I left off, it seemed he went over to dispose of the spirates but lost his mind. It was only through a brief but dangerous conflict with my sister that he came to. Following that, they were attacked by some rogue spirates. Most were dealt with but one got through and Urashima inhaled it."

"WHAT?!?!"

The shriek made all the girls jump in fright to see Yoko pale and clammy, backed up against the wall.

"Y-y-y-you s-s-s-sure she said that? Like, 100'000% sure???"

Motoko growled. "Do calm yourself your making a scene. Yes, that is what my sister said. Now before you decide to frighten everyone again, I'll remind you that you saw Urashima healthy just an hour ago."

Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, he very shakily made his way back to the group. Mutsumi put a questioning hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and nodded hesitantly to which she moved a bit closer so he could lean on her. She felt the blazing stares directed at the faint Yoko. Looking over, she smiled brightly.

"Don't mind him he's just in a bit of shock. He can lean on me for a minute or two just so he won't pass out yes?"

The two women pulled back uneasily, glares lightening a bit but still watching his every movement. Coughing, Motoko continued.

"Following on, Keitaro inhaled a spirate. But then some unusual occurrences took place that Keitaro had not described to my sister. If Yoko was not such a wreck I'm sure he would be able to enlighten us. But h..."

"No, no I'll be able to tell you."

Looking at the still very pale boy, he swallowed nervously. "I only got to see it happen a few times really. But what it is is that when a wisp is inhaled, it enters your blood stream and moves to the base of your skull. There, the parasite proceeds to divide your body. That is, split you in two's then four's and so on. You lose density until you just become another wisp. From there you float away into the sky to develop into a fully fledged spirate and return to wreak havoc upon humanity."

Motoko paused a second. "I did not fully understand that was what a division was. It was sometimes almost captured on TV but everything was shorted out before anything could really be worked out. It sounds truly horrific."

Yoko nodded glumly. "You have nooooo idea."

The group sat in silence for a second till Motoko took up her story again. "If that was what Urashima told sister, then that was definitely not what happened. She could not find the right words to describe it so I'll try my best. From what I could understand, he began to fight the spirates presence like it would a virus or infection. Except this time the foreign body could really fight back. Sister had a hard time retelling this part simply because it disgusted her so much. She did not go into details but said that he was put through hell to rid himself of it. Eventually his immortality won it over and it was excreted through the pores on his skin. He then collapsed and was taken to hospital."

Yoko dropped back in amazement. He would have flopped to the floor hadn't Mutsumi's arms gently supported him. Keitaro was unbelievable.

Naru glared at the contact but was given a reassuring smile. Turning back to Motoko, she tried to work it all out. "So... basically, Keitaro should be dead right now but he isn't... again. And that now he may have just run away at the most vulnerable time for us to work out a little selfish problem?"

Motoko shook her head. "No. As much as I am concerned about him living with us, he would not run away without an extremely good reason. We have been shown this many times."

Kitsune piped up from her corner. "It doesn't matter that much anyway does it? From what I managed to pick up, your super sword slash thing that you always hit lover boy with kills the spirates. Currently we have about 25 highly trained, smelly and ready to fight warriors downstairs. Even if all those things did try 'nd fly in to sneak a peek at Naru's panties, they would have some badass samurai action on their tails quick smart. So I say why worry? They don't seem to be going anywhere in a hurry so we're safe for the moment. I say let little baby Keitaro work out this problem of his cause for the moment, we have a good excuse to drown our sorrows."

----------

Keitaro flew through the air. He sneezed twice but thought nothing of it. Looking around, he saw a nice little spot near the base of a rather rugged looking cliff.

"Should things get out of hand I should be able to bury myself under that. Looks as good a place as any."

Looking up, Keitaro concentrated quickly. A slight warp in the air appeared before Keitaro and he kicked off his barrier. He plummeted towards the ground with ever increasing speed. Stretching out his legs, he came into solid contact with the ground. The trees around him shook as a rumble faded into the earth. Walking out of his shallow crater, Keitaro sat down besides the wall. Wriggling his rump around, he got himself comfortable. Might as well considering he may be a while. Removing his watch, he put it on the ground in front of him. Activating the stopwatch, Keitaro leaned back and sighed contentedly. He took in his surroundings peacefully. Despite the unsettling clouds above, everything out here was perfect. Birds were chirping, still unaware of what was happening. Keitaro could sense life within the trees before him just going about with the day like normal. Closing his eyes, he smiled.

"If only this could last forever."

Sighing he took one last longing look around.

"Well... best I get this underway."

Closing his eyes again, Keitaro began to frown as his consciousness began to recede into the deeper part of his mind. Finally his face relaxed and his breathing steadied. To any onlooker, he was peacefully asleep. Inside though, he receded into the very depths of his own mind. Corners of the mind science had not yet unearthed were lit up as he ran through the trillions of neurological pathways.

"It's got to be in here... even if I hadn't discovered it till now it has hidden itself somewhere..."

He ran through his memories first, cleaning them out making sure it wasn't hiding in there by some small chance. Next he began moving through the nervous system. He saw his own heart, beating, at the time consciously aware to his minds direction to continue its beat. He increased its rate to 1000 beats a minute just to see if it would damage it at all. Once slowed, it pumped away just as happily as it always had. Internally sighing, Keitaro ran through his bowels, his breathing, everything related to his physical body. Finding nothing, he moved on to his hidden inner mind. It was a dark place.

"This is where all the extra sensory qualities reside... what a dark place..."

Cautiously moving through the black of it, he came to a door. Just like any house would have, a plain wooden door. Except this was pitch black. But even through that, intricate swirling designs were visible on its surface, writhing and twisting among themselves, constantly swapping places but not once overlapping. Swallowing, Keitaro pushed open the door.

It eased open, not a noise coming from the hinges. Inside the room, a single light with no source shone down. Black balls hung in the room, suspended by nothing. They rotated slowly on their axis, though how Keitaro could tell was uncertain because they were incredibly smooth. Millions of strange inconsistent shapes drifted in the corners of the room, a dim light coming out of each. But the thing that drew Keitaro's attention was that he could feel a talent in them. One was the talent of drawing. The other of maths. Another of Ki manipulation. Trying his best to ignore them, he continued moving forward. Disjointed voices floated through the room, occasionally making contact with another voice. When they did, a duel voice whispered out unspeakable evils before the voices broke away from each other, continuing on their way. A solitary figure stood in the light. Looking up, it grinned.

"Welcome."

Keitaro walked closer, though very warily. It watched him move forward, its eyes wide with excitement. Standing just outside the lights limits, Keitaro looked at it properly. It was him through and through. The glasses, the hair, height, dress sense, shoes, everything. Except the eyes which were so fascinated with him. They were inverted in colour, the whites of his eyes blacker than black and his pupils a lifeless white. Keitaro stared at him.

"Where have you been hiding?"

It just chuckled.

Keitaro frowned. "Tell me."

It looked around its limitless chamber. "Right here."

Keitaro sighed. One of these ones. "Ok. Where is here?"

It looked at him disappointedly. "You haven't worked it out? This is your mind!"

Keitaro twitched slightly. "Yes I worked that out. Where in my mind is here?"

Again it looked at him disappointedly. "You haven't worked that out either? This is your chamber of abilities."

Keitaro made no facial expression but internally ah-ha'd. He expected all those lights had something to do with them.

"How did you come into being?"

Just as Keitaro asked that, he noticed the talent of speaking lit up, briefly out shining the other talents until Keitaro finished talking. It then returned to its original luminosity.

Keitaro's darkness replied. "I'm not sure actually. Just one day I was here and I woke up. From then I have just spent my time here. Except for 3 times where I was allowed out. And wasn't that fun yes? Yes?"

It started walking towards him excitedly. The light followed overhead. Keitaro took a step back.

"I don't know. I was unconscious those times."

The creature stopped. "Ah. Yes true there can only ever be one consciousness active at any one time."

Its hand shot up with speed that only Keitaro could have seen. An incredible explosion of telekinetic force impacted with Keitaro, sending him sprawling away several hundred meters, should there have been any form of distance in the room.

The creature started walking towards Keitaro. "Sadly, that means I've been trapped in this dump of a room for 99.9999% of my life so far. I want out."

Its eyes grew wide with insanity, the eyes Keitaro saw when erasing Yoko's memory. "You are my way out. You cease to exist and I can take primary place in consciousness! Easy."

It smiled happily. "Unfortunately that means you need to be dispelled but I guess its just a price we're willing to pay."

Keitaro heaved a breath as his chest popped outwards, repairing itself from being crushed inwards from the blast. The regeneration talent shone extremely brightly as Keitaro healed. Coughing, Keitaro pushed himself to his feet.

"No. You cannot leave here. You nearly killed my closest friend with my own hands! Something that is willing to do that cannot leave here. I will not let you."

The creature growled. "I wasn't saying you were going to let me. I'm going to take it!"

Instantly the two figures vanished. Sonic booms exploded out from around the room as incredible forces met. Talents lit up and dimmed rapidly as punches, kicks, telekinetic and Ki balls were traded, the room turned into a massive stroboscopic lamp.

Keitaro flung himself across the room, his double in close tow.

'This is not good. He's my equal match on everything. What can I do?'

Absorbing a punch with his own hand, he flung multiple hypersonic kicks into the creatures side. Every kick was countered though, but only just. Wrenching its hand back, it kicked off a far wall and drove itself into Keitaro. He acted instinctively and his upper torso disappeared into a blur as he parried and dodged seemingly millions of attacks in a single second. Finally catching a fist, Keitaro grunted and swung its body over his head and into the ground on the other side. It cried out as Keitaro slammed it deep into the ground. Not done yet, Keitaro lifted it high into the air again and smashed it down into the ground on the other side. He repeated the process but at 100 times the speed. The creatures body hammered into the ground on either side of Keitaro uncountable times in the blink of an eye before being released. Keitaro's throw hurtled it upwards at an incredible speed. Keitaro crouched and jumped up afterwards it, the dark ground at his feet splintering away into a massive crater. A spinning form appeared by its side briefly until an incredibly powerful kick hammered into its side, sending it flying down into the ground faster than a bullet. Keitaro hung in the air looking down at his work. Rubble was pushed out of the way as Keitaro's evil crawled out defiantly as ever.

Keitaro growled unhappily. "He is my total opposite, yet he is me! This won't go anywhere, he'll just recover and keep coming. How do I beat myself?!"

His brief thought train made him not register his twin vanish from the floor. Without even time to open his eyes, a deluge of punches rained down into his side. Keitaro's mouth opened wide as blood and air escaped his body in a spray. In a final hit, Keitaro was propelled down into the earth. His body made contact with the solid ground and he felt every bone in his body break. Not even given a second to recover, a knee harder than diamond drilled into his back. Could he have screamed, he would have but any remaining air was forced out with an unimpressive, 'Eep!'

He felt the knee touch ground through his body and nearly passed out from the pain. Shaking his head, he forced himself to stay awake. It felt like if he passed out he would lose. A hand grabbed the back of his head and buried it into the ground with intense ferocity. Keitaro's face broke as the unforgiving ground crumbled away around the intrusion. Clenching his eyes shut tight, Keitaro swung out with a random arm. It connected solidly with the person above him and sent him rocketing away. Pulling himself out of the ground, Keitaro wheezed for breath as his destroyed body recovered. A sickening snap in his chest opened Keitaro's lungs and he instantly started taking in gulps of air. Feeling his lower body heal, he pulled himself out of the ground and sat up shakily. Breathing deeply, Keitaro looked over at the creature as it pulled itself up standing once more.

Shaking his head unhappily, Keitaro looked down at his own hands. "This is impossible."

-----

A/N – Well, thats where it stops for this chapter... O.O oh no a cliffie!!!!! Horror!!! whatever will Keitaro do? How will he win? Stay tuned to find out nd blah blah blah. Feel free to throw your ideas around though. If I like them enough it might be how Keitaro ends up winning! But I won't tell you which one though until I post the next chapter mwahahahaha feel my wrath -_-

Anyway, yeah I thought up a very awesome and possibly cruel ending for all you readers!!!! You'll understand when we get there :D

Anyway, until the next chapter,

Lanky Nathan (cliff hanging master of all)


	19. Chapter 19

Wow 100 reviews! I'm honoured, really =) thank you so much to all who follow the story consistently.

Well, time for the next chapter. I can't believe I didn't write for so long! It's so much fun; I'm surprised at myself that I forgot how much fun it is! Read on adventurers!

Note - There is a coment on disibility in this chapter. If you are someone who takes offence to this kind of thing, know now I mean nothing of it. It is simply a statement I can see Kitsune making.

**Chapter 19**

The residents were all sitting down with not a lot to do. The news had expressed its concern to everyone about the current on goings and had advised everyone to stay indoors. If that wasn't enough to stop any unwarranted movement, Tsuruko had also forbidden anyone to go within 200 meters of the inn. Thus, as safe as it was, things were pretty boring at that present moment in time.

"There's this spot on the roof that's driving me barmy. Yoko, hunny, could you pick it off?"

Looking over from his corner, he saw Kitsune pointing feebly at the roof. Taking it as an opportunity to do something for a second or two, he got up.

"Where is it?"

She moaned pathetically and continued pointing towards the roof. Sighing, Yoko squinted up. Failing to see anything, he looked at her.

"But where? I can't see anything?"

Huffing indignantly, she stood up and stomped over. Grabbing his head, she pointed his it up, lining up his eyes with her finger.

"Right there! What are you, blind?"

Squinting even harder, Yoko tried to make it out. Finally his gaze fell upon the most insignificant little dot. He looked at her as best he could with his face wedged between her face and arm.

"Are you serious? There's no way you could have seen that from there."

She looked at him indignantly. "I wouldn't have called ya across if I couldn't see it. Now, fix it stretch."

Shaking his head, Yoko reached up and rubbed his thumb against the roof. He felt his thumb sink into the tiny hole.

"It's a hole. I can't pick it off."

Kitsune raised her arms incredulously. "So bog it or something! DAH!! Seriously it's nearly impossible to think you're from the future. I would expect ya to have something like super brains by then."

"OI!!! I have a good brain thank you! And it works a whole lot better than your alcohol filled system!"

Her face pressed into his. "Even in my state I can still think of a way to fix the hole! What's your disability?"

Yoko pushed his face back. "Probably that I don't fuss over something so pathetic as a hole less than a micron wide! Seriously, you 20th century women are an absolute pain in the ass! Women from my time are far more reserved than you! All are very nearly like Motoko in nature."

He ended up with a finger very nearly driven into his head. "Well if all men from the future are like you it's no wonder the ladies of the future are drop dead boring!"

Motoko shot her an offended glance from her meditation. "Mitsune!"

The girl in question shrugged. "What? Let's face it, you're not exactly the most mentally stimulating girl that lives here."

Turning back to Yoko, she was about to say something when she saw a familiar look in his eyes.

"Ah crap."

Kitsune turned into a bug. Motoko shook her head and returned to her training. With everyone being cooped up in here for so long, the result was many verbal fights. Usually between the male and Kitsune. Motoko had given up on dealing out justice. At first, she had tried her best to protect Kitsune, but after Yoko had shown that he was close to being on par with her skills (and after a severe reprimand from her sister) she had taken to ignoring the shouting as best as she could. Also, Yoko's 're-shift' had come in as an unexpected but not unwelcome 'bordom-breaker' as he had taken to morphing Kitsune into various indescribable objects. Not only did it stop her talking for about half an hour, it also gave everyone something interesting to look at for a while. At first he was not much good but after so much practice, Kitsune started becoming odd things at least twice a day. Smiling to herself as 'Kitsune the Bug' crawled around the floor, she began to float away.

Mutsumi sighed from the doorway. "I wish Kei was here. I miss his cheery voice."

Everyone in the room nodded solemnly. It had been a week since Keitaro had gone into the hills. Slowly, day by day, things were progressively getting worse. The sky continued to darken and more and more fatalities were recorded from the spirate attacks. A few of the samurai had argued with Tsuruko about her not letting anyone out. They just wanted to get out and remove a few of the spirates. But each time, Tsuruko firmly stated no. Her reasons were that the spirates were still too widely dispersed, and that for some reason they were giving the Hinata Inn a very wide berth. So much so that even the fastest of the swordsmen wouldn't reach the nearest spirate after a whole hours travel. Each time the samurai gave in, but they were becoming more and more restless.

"Indeed. As much as I wish not to say it, he would be able to organise a very effective defence against this onslaught."

Shinobu looked up from her corner and nodded quietly in agreement with Motoko's statement.

"Oi, everyone, come have a look at this!"

Naru's urgent voice floated up from the lounge room. Instantly alert, Yoko and Motoko were the first out the door. Mutsumi was already standing near the door but was close to being knocked off her feet by the two bodies rapidly passing her. Spinning a few times, a lucky hand managed to grab the door frame before she was introduced to the floor. Holding a hand to her forehead, she waited for things to stop spinning. Looking over her shoulder, she called to Shinobu.

"Shinobu dear, would you like to come along and see what they want? I think it would be an idea. Care to accompany me?"

Shinobu, who had been hiding in the corner as the exchange of insults had progressed, got up and looked behind her as Kitsune scuttled around the floor. Sighing, she reached out and took the hand. As the girls left, a BAMPH with a puff of smoke appeared behind them. Kitsune was down on her hands and knees, swearing violently. Getting up, she stalked out of the room, hands in her pockets.

---

Shinobu tentatively poked her head through the gathering of bodies. Squeezing through, the small girl sat down in front of the TV as everyone jostled for a view. A reporter appeared on the screen and a multitude of shushes sounded out. Trying her best to ignore the noise, Shinobu leaned in towards the TV.

"_The recent movement of the now labelled 'Gathering' has the authorities worried. So far the Gathering have been seen spotted all over Japan in no apparent order or formation. The deaths of many still has yet to fully be absorbed by the rest of the population. As our previous reporter saw, the Gathering takes human and animal life by splitting the poor victim into many ghost like segments which then becomes another one of the Gathering. Continuing, satellites have recently taken pictures of the Gathering's movement. They seem to be accumulating towards a point just outside of Tokyo's borders, though the reason for this is still uncertain. We are currently over Tokyo as it is, watching the movements below us. Most of the bodies of the Gathering are simply drifting towards the capital. Urgent evacuation is in place for anyone within the projected trajectory of the Gathering. Once again, anyone in this area, please, evacuate immediately."_

An image came up on the TV, showing the approximate area of the soon to be effected area. A cumulative sigh came from everyone in the room. The dorms were well out of the road of the area. Tsuruko pushed through the crowd till she made it to the front. Raising a hand, she waited for attention.

"Ok, it seems that this is where the final battle shall be held. We will move out tomorrow morning and set up around the proposed area. We shall go as pairs so each person can watch your team mates back. Keitaro said that these things are vulnerable to Ki attacks. Currently we have the very best swordsmen that our Shinmeiryu can offer right here. We go in and we finish this. And one last tip. If by some unforseen chance that one of the spirates does make it to you, hold your breath. It can only enter your body by you inhaling. Signal to your partner and they will remove it from you. Any questions?"

Nothing happened for a second. Then down in the corner of Tsuruko's keen eye, a shy hand rose up slowly. Looking down at the timid blue haired girl, she smiled. "Yes Shinobu?"

The hand retracted and instantly her eyes dropped to the floor. She began turning red as she felt all eyes in the room focus on her. She was nearly about to run when a thought occurred to her.

'No one else seems to want to ask this question. Well, if that's so, then I will just have to ask for everybody!'

Lifting her gaze, she mustered up every bit of courage she had. "W-what about us? Like, myself and the other girls who live here? Yoko too? We can't protect ourselves against these creatures. What happens if one of them comes here?"

Her big blue eyes widened even further in fear. Tsuruko smiled genuinely at the young ladies concern. "Not to worry, I have already assigned two of our best to stay here and protect you ladies. As for Yoko, he is coming with us, along with Motoko. My sister is one of the strongest fighters we have and Yoko has valuable information about the spirates that we can use. Very good question though Shinobu. It has been covered so you may rest your worries."

Blushing slightly at the complement, Shinobu looked down and nodded slightly. Tsuruko looked back up from her and refocused her vision over the group in front of her. "Ok everyone, it's time to call it a day. We leave at dawn."

The group began to disperse, soft yawns coming from some. Avoiding the people, the regular roommates moved over to Tsuruko. Motoko and Yoko kept their distance, waiting their turn. Naru, Mutsumi and Kitsune came over and had a brief word with the elder lady before gathering up Shinobu and headed for the stairs. Waiting another second, the last two walked over to Tsuruko.

Motoko looked across at Yoko briefly. "Sister, if I may, can I request something of you?"

Tsuruko raised an interested eyebrow. "Continue..."

Pausing for a second, Motoko took in a breath and steeled herself. "I wish to be teamed with Yoko."

Both eyebrows went up. "Really? Why is that Motoko?"

Focusing on a point slightly behind Tsuruko, Motoko went on. "It is because I have spent more time than I have liked with him. Aside from that though, we have come to a greater understanding of each other's abilities. We have spoken about it before hand and with that in mind, I believe we would make for the best team."

Tsuruko noticed Motoko's rigidity but ignored it. Turning to Yoko, she smiled. "What do you think?"

He straightened his back and pushed his chest out, pulling himself up to his full 6 feet of height. "It is as Motoko suggested. We have spent time together and through... encounters... we have gained an understanding of our abilities. Out fighting skill is almost on pa, with Motoko only having a slight advantage over me. Therefore, I believe together we could take this threat down with utmost efficiency. Sir."

Tsuruko laughed. "At ease solider! You certainly switched personalities for a second there."

Realising what he was doing, he slumped and scratched the back of his head, goofy smile on his face. "Haha, yeah, sorry. That's just habit I guess." He stopped scratching and looked at Tsuruko more seriously. "But anyway, how about our request?"

Tsuruko's smile did not waver a bit. "Granted. I was originally thinking about who I would pair you two with. I thought you would do well together but I also had to take in Motoko's aversion to males."

Motoko stiffened but said nothing.

"But with you two having already spoken about it, I would actually like to thank the both of you for choosing the partner you did. You will be the strongest team out of everyone. Now, scoot. It's time for everyone's bed, especially you two. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow."

Nodding, they bowed before turning and making their way towards the stairs. Taking a moment, Tsuruko closed her eyes and sighed. It was pleasant to hear peace and quiet for a change. Making her way to her room, she paused a second at the doorway. Peace and quiet? It was then she realised that there was no noise coming from a certain super genius's room. She chuckled to herself. Whatever the little princess had completed, it was going to be interesting. Sliding her door shut behind her, a single happy cry softly made its way through the empty corridors of the inn before silence once again reigned supreme.

-----

The following morning, Yoko was sleeping soundly. The night before, he had said goodnight to Motoko and then almost passed out before making it to his bed. Shinobu must have doped his tea. His door opened and a graceful figure glided in. A slightly less graceful toe made its way into his side, nudging him off his futon. Opening an eye slightly, he saw a dark figure standing over him, face hidden by the light shining from the hallway behind.

"AHHH DEMON!!"

Scuttling backwards, he sat up against the wall, cowering with his arms over his head. The figure sighed impatiently.

"Please stop playing around. We have work to do. And next time... you should really wear some pants when you sleep."

"Ehh?"

Looking down, Yoko noticed he was only in his undies. Blushing heavily, he looked around for anything to cover himself. Grabbing a book, he covered up. Now able to see Motoko's face, he was relieved to see she was looking at his wardrobe. A slight blush was on her cheeks.

"We are leaving in approximately One hour. Shinobu got up especially early to cook everyone breakfast. I expect to see you down here."

Turning, she glided out of the room, door shutting silently behind her. Sighing, Yoko dropped the book. "How did I even end up like this? I normally wear shorts of some sort... oh well. I'll ask Keitaro later if I can be bothered. He knows all."

Rising to his feet, he shivered as a few bones popped. Walking over to his clothing, he selected his most tight fitting long sleeved shirt and pants. What he always wore to training. Getting dressed, he quickly made his way down to the mess room. When he entered, everyone stopped and looked up at him. A few of the women blushed slightly while a few of the men covered their mouths in an attempt to stop their laughter. Tsuruko glared at them quickly before coughing. Yoko looked at her, thoroughly puzzled.

"Uh Yoko, I'm not sure how to say it but you seem to be very... tight this morning."

"Wha..?"

Looking down, he didn't see anything unusual. Looking back up, he shot a glance at Motoko. She was trying her best to ignore him but gave up. She looked over at him, a stronger blush on her cheeks.

"What sister is trying to say is that your clothes are extremely clingy. We can see things we really wish not to."

Yoko blushed and took a step back. "But this is what I always wear when training! How is this showing off anything you don't normally see?"

One of the older guys looked up, still chuckling. "Well buddy, it looks like you had those clothes tattooed on."

"Really?"

Twisting to get a better look at himself, something ripped. Everyone sweat dropped as they prayed nothing on the front gave way.

Yoko blushed again. "I guess these things don't fit as well as my old polyfibre membrane. I'll just go change..."

Turning, everyone got a flash of white before it disappeared up the stairs. All the men instantly started laughing while the ladies blushed modestly, continuing on with their breakfast silently. Tsuruko watched as Motoko sighed and lifted herself up from her seat. Sensing her look, Motoko spared her a glance. "Yes, he may be a talented warrior but if he makes the same mistake again I will not be seen with him. I am just going to get him some more... appropriate clothing."

She left the room with the chuckles following her.

---

About an hour later, the group of swordsmen were gathered out the front of the dorms. A murky sun was just beginning to peep over the horizon. While Tsuruko spoke, Yoko inspected his new samurai clothing. He shifted his arms around, quite pleased with the mobility.

"Ok everyone, we have our location. We shall stagger ourselves around the borders, encircling the spirates. Once we are in position, we attack. Everyone ready?"

All heads nodded. Smiling, Tsuruko nodded back. "With that, I wish everyone the best of luck. Now move out."

Just before they did though, a deep rumble in the earth instantly had all hands on hilts of swords. A section of the stairs before them started to shake and apparently sink into the earth. It then split, opening up and revealing a very sleek looking mecha rising out of the ground. On top was Kaolla, grinning triumphantly.

"Heya everyone! I would like to introduce you all to my latest invention! I have labelled it, 'Ki Mecha'!"

A flash of light danced across its gleaming surface as it rose into the sun. It was small compared to her other inventions at only about 7 foot tall, but there was something dangerously different with its very aero dynamic design.

Su turned to Tsuruko and saluted importantly. "Permission to join all warriors in combat?"

Tsuruko laughed but shook her head. "No sorry Kaolla, but unfortunately this is far too dangerous. You have heard about the danger posed to humans with the spirates. What happened if one got to you?"

Su laughed heartily. "No Problemo! I could go on for days about how I have numerously wired this thing for spirate combat but that would take... well, days!"

Tsuruko was about to say something more but Motoko nudged her. Leaning in, she whispered into her ear. "Say what you want sister but once Kaolla has her mind set on something, she will follow through with it come hell or high water. Besides, she most probably _is_ the most well protected member present."

Tsuruko smiled and shook her head. "Ok then young Su, you may come but on the one condition that you sat out of the main battle. Clear?"

Su nodded happily. "Yup! I specially designed this baby for long distance combat anyway. All covered!"

Looking away from the dancing princess, Tsuruko looked at everyone before. "Ok then everyone, that is that. Let us go!"

A blur of movement suddenly occurred and all of a sudden Yoko was left standing there wondering where everyone went. Behind him, he heard Su scream a loud battle cry before a deep grumble echoed out as her contraption became airborne. Looking at where she was headed, Yoko could spot some now tiny human figured in the distance.

"No way I can do that..."

Suddenly, Motoko reappeared by his side, clearly irritated. "What are you waiting for???"

Yoko looked at her in shock. "What? Where did you come from?"

Motoko growled. "You cannot move distances as the rest of us do?"

Yoko shook his head slowly. Slapping a hand to her forehead, Motoko looked around in frustration. Coming to no other conclusion, she walked over and picked Yoko up easily.

His eyes widened significantly. "You cannot be serious?! You're going to carry me?"

Motoko smirked. "Thankfully, no."

Taking a small run up, Motoko summoned all her strength and flung Yoko skywards. His horrified shriek rapidly faded into the distance as Motoko took off after him.

-------

Keitaro crawled out of yet another crater. He wiped away a trickle of blood from his forehead, wincing in pain. No cut was present though. Turning to face his adversary, Keitaro saw him breathing heavily. He couldn't blame him, Keitaro had long since lost track of time. Every time they re-engaged in combat, one of the two would gain the advantage for a bit before being over powered and sent flying away to lie in yet another hole. Standing up, Keitaro watched as his double tensed.

'There has to be a way to win. There HAS to! Everything has a weakness... except me. But then he is me! So he has no weakness! But I have to defeat him...'

A charged Ki ball came flying in towards Keitaro. Raising a hand, he deflected it casually. It careered off to smash into a talent light. It was then Keitaro noticed something. It glowed brightly as the ball entered it before rapidly dying away as if the talent was never there.

"Thummnm... squy driden't my noitoice zthrat realier? Hrrrait da smeckond..."

Keitaro screwed up his face awkwardly. What the hell? Looking over at the nonexistent light, he watched as it slowly recovered. Licking his lips, he tried the same sentence again.

"Hmmm... why didn't I notice that earlier? Wait a second..."

Frowning, Keitaro glanced back up at the talent. It was the talent of speech. Hope flickered in Keitaro's mind. Taking aim at his double, he returned fire. A massive ball of Ki flew in towards his demon. Making sure it was preoccupied with it, Keitaro quickly shot a small ball into the same talent. It glowed brightly and then dimmed.

"Stricks grund sthuns zillt wrate kai dones."

An explosion notified Keitaro that the double had deflected his attack. Looking back up at the talent, it was glowing softly again.

"Sticks and stones will break my bones."

A very un-Keitaro like smile crossed his lips. This could be the way to win. He noticed his rival charge in. Bracing himself, he let the double strike him an earth shattering blow to the jaw. He was flung away, far further than normal due to the unblocked attack. Hitting the ground, Keitaro looked up and saw a talent shining brightly. He grinned lopsidedly, jaw completely destroyed. A few cracks sounded out and his smile straightened. His jaw relocated back into its socket and teeth rapidly regrew to fill the many knocked out. He watched as the talent slowly dimmed, its job done.

'This could be it! With him being exactly me, if I overload the regeneration talent, I may just be able to defeat him! The only problem is that if he hits me, I could be out for good too. Oh well, time to get this party started!'

Standing and grinning very much like his rival, Keitaro wiped away a trickle of blood from his mouth. Crouching, Keitaro dashed forward rapidly. Through the blur, Keitaro could see his opponent ready for the attack. Raising a fist, Keitaro came in with a deadly haymaker. Just before impact though, he launched a single Ki blast at the talent. It swelled and then dimmed away. Keitaro then hit his double, the sheer magnitude of the attack breaking through the defence raised. Keitaro's fist connected heavily with face, and Keitaro smiled inwardly as he felt bone crack and disolve. Following through, Keitaro stopped his rapid movement with a solid leg stomp. His rear leg lifted high in the air as his momentum was transferred into the ground. The creature was flung away, bouncing heavily on the ground before rolling a few times and coming to rest. Keitaro looked up, hope dancing in his eyes. But that quickly changed.

Keitaro's face quickly dropped as he registered something. His hand and leg was hurting. It was actually incredibly painful. It was torture! Dropping to the floor, Keitaro howled in agony as he held his mangled arm. The force of the impact had completely disintegrated the bones in his hand. Holes were spotted across the back and palm of his hand where the bone had literally exploded from the flesh. His arm was twisted and bent at many different angles, blood gushing from open wounds where the bone had forced its way through the skin. Looking down through the tears, Keitaro saw his femur exposed several inches from his knee, the force of the stomp blowing it out through his kneecap. Precious blood poured out in torrents. And the thing that scared Keitaro the most was that none of the injuries were healing. He began to feel light headed. Things were going numb that shouldn't have been going numb. Looking up through his faltering eyesight, he saw his evil looking over at him, all injuries healed.

"Wha... what... why didn't it work? Wha... what h... happened...?"

Just before his eyes clouded over, he saw up in the far corner of his sight, a small talent currently glowing brightly but then fading as his evil started walking over towards him.

-----

A/N – Oh no Keitaro!!! What will he do?? Rotflsaurus XD (for anyone who doesn't know, that's rotfl + saurus, as in something like stegosaurus) I really enjoyed writing this chapter! Keep reading faithful ones, the next chapter isn't too far away!! It's taken forever but things are finally starting to come to a climax! Prepare for interesting stuff to happen my friends! Onwards to the next installment!!!


	20. Chapter 20

Wow... chapter 20. Haven't things come along? Let's see what happens next... O.o

Own nothing

So we remember:

"Blah" - normal speech

'Blah' - thought

_"Blah"_ - telepathic speech

**Chapter 20**

Yoko was quickly growing very uneasy. It had nothing to do with sailing across the surface of the earth several hundred feet up. It was that he could almost feel the spirate presence growing larger and more menacing each second. After a couple of minutes, he had finally worked out how to roll over, belly down. Occasionally Motoko would grab and fling him again, sending him spinning for a bit until he regained control of himself. It was just after one such event that he motioned her over.

Looking unsurely down at the earth, he spoke quietly. "I must tell you something. As bad timing it is, I have to say it. I... never really got to fight the spirates. I only ever witnessed them from a distance. We did have many theory lessons on their flight patterns and attacking formations but I don't know how that will measure up in real time. I may be strong but I unfortunately have no knowledge of Ki manipulation what so ever. What can I do?"

Motoko sighed. What wretched timing. "As useless as you may feel, you still have knowledge of spirates we do not. Even if you do not destroy a single spirate, I expect you shall contribute to their defeat in some way."

Yoko looked up, somewhat comforted. "You think so?"

Motoko looked away, clearly unhappy with having to consult a male. "Y...yes most possibly. Now stop thinking about it and focus at the task at hand. We are nearly there."

Looking up, they both could see a deep shadow spinning in the distance. As they drew closer, their eyes widened as they realised the size of it.

"The shadows... there are millions!"

Yoko gulped and nodded unhelpfully. Motoko picked up on a discreet hand movement from Tsuruko and grabbed Yoko. He gave her a confused look just as she used his momentum to spin herself around twice. She let Yoko go, aiming him directly towards the ground. He shouted in fright, arms flailing as all the samurai fell towards the ground with him. Several impacted and looked up quickly, arms interlocking. Yoko scrunched himself up into the foetal position, eyes shut tight.

'Oh I'm so dead and I'm not even going to be able to help out with the spirates! Nooooooooooo....'

After an extremely soft landing on something, Yoko opened one eye tentatively. He was lying side down on the ground being ignored. Turning over, he saw all the samurai huddled around in a group. Shivering off the last bit of fear, he quickly joined the group.

"Ok, as you can see we have our work cut out for us. The area is about a mile in diameter that we have to cover and clean up. Tokyo is to the East of here so the strongest teams will be positioned in that direction to make sure no spirates will escape to the city. The next strongest will be to the West due the spirates having small brains as Keitaro told us. They will try to run in the opposite direction so they are to confront them there. The next group will be towards the South to stop any fleeing down into the rest of Japan. And finally the rest shall be towards the North. We cannot afford to let any spirate attack any of us. Should one attach to your person, raise your arm into the air. You will be assisted instantly. Yoko, you stay back and direct our attack pattern. You know more about this than any of us."

He nodded. "I'll contact the people I need to telepathically."

A few eyebrows went up but only for a second before the refocused on Tsuruko.

"Su, you stay out on the borders and pick off any spirates that try to escape. I know it is a massive area to cover but should everything go as planned you needn't do anything."

The little genius pouted. "But I equipped this thing for long distance!! Can't I even fire into the spirate ball thingie?"

Tsuruko's eyebrows rose slightly. "You say you could kill spirates from a distance?"

Su smiled widely. "Of course! I have multiple Ki missiles ready to fire on command. Just say the word and I'll have these little grots scrambling!"

Tsuruko looked across at Motoko. She nodded. Smiling, Tsuruko nodded. "Ok Kaolla. You can commence attack when we do. But remember, your main mission is to dispose of any spirates that escape. Clear?

Thumbs up high in the air, she nodded vigorously. "It shall be done!! Su is on it!"

Looking back down to the rest of the group, Tsuruko paused. "Now, before anything happens, we are all to notify that our positions have been reached. Once there, both team members raise your left arm. Once all groups are positioned, we attack. Clear?"

"Clear."

Tsuruko smiled. "Good. Everyone, stay safe. I want you all back at the end of the day. Now, move out."

In a blur of movement and a gulp as Yoko was dragged along, everyone disappeared.

---------

Landing quietly, Motoko crouched down behind a bush on the East side of the spirate mass. Yoko lay sprawled for a second behind her before untangling himself and moving up beside her. Nodding, they raised their left hands. Looking around, Motoko's keen eyes saw pair after pair of hands raise. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she closed her eyes in pre-battle meditation. Opening them again, she saw that only 5 groups were left to reach their spots. Turning to Yoko, she nudged him.

"You cannot fight spirates directly but you know more about them than I do. You guide me on how best to attack them. Try and keep up with my movements."

Yoko nodded. "Good idea. If you want, I'll communicate with you telepathically to erase the risk you don't hear me."

Motoko looked across. "Mmm you already said that. But thankyou. It will be extremely helpful." Looking over, she saw only one set of hands left. "Ok, it is nearly time. Are you ready?"

Steeling himself, Yoko nodded. All emotion drained from his face and eyes, just as he had been trained to do. Emotions were a hindrance in battle. Let them effect you later. They then sat in suspense, muscles twitching, every nerve ablaze. Motoko saw a rustle in one of the far bushes. She took one last look at the almost black clouds writhing in the sky. They rotated and twisted over each other, almost like the very heavens knew what was about to happen. She swallowed.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Hands up.

Instantly samurai shot out from all sides screaming a battle cry. In the distance, an ear piercing whistle sounded out and several high powered rockets shot deep into the now disturbed nest. Several seconds past before they exploded, a deep purple light emanating out. The air was filled with thousands of spirates screaming, their distorted voices drowning out any other noise. Motoko sped towards the now totally distraught spirates. She began unleashing Ki wave after Ki wave deep into the swarm. Every single wave connected with several spirates sending their remains to the ground. Taking a split second to look around, everyone was either charging in and destroying everything within sight or falling back and guarding their comrade's backs.

"_Several spirates, immediate left aiming for you."_

Motoko whirled around screaming, letting lose a devastating attack into the spirates. They shrieked in surprise and then in pain as they disintegrated. Turning back to face the onslaught, Motoko saw an arm raised high in the air. Charging over to her team mate, she unleashed an attack straight at him. While it passed straight through him, ash drifted away from his throat. Nodding once, he returned back to attacking.

"_Spirate formation B.7-3 coming in from your right, 4 o'clock. Aim for the head horizontally and have your attack expand outwards."_

Following his directions, Motoko unleased a horizontal attack at the 'v' shaped formation. The head disappeared in a puff of ash and the others had no chance of avoiding, all falling to the deadly attack.

"_2 o'clock, coming down at 45 degrees. 5 spirates."_

Slicing upwards, a Ki wave barrelled into the ghosts. Four were hit but the fifth managed to dodge and flew in.

'Crap!!'

Holding her breath, the spirate latched onto her torso, begging entrance. Instantly her arm shot into the air. No less than a second later, she felt a force flow through her back and out her chest. The spirates eyes widened and it screamed before exploding. Shaking the ringing from her ears, Motoko ploughed on.

'Filth!'

Growling, Motoko began attacking again. Her speed doubled, arms turning to a blur as Ki shots fired out every second. But for every one hit it seemed another 20 took its place.

'I will not lose to these things!'

Crying out, she redoubled her efforts, charging in to join her fellow swordsmen. Yoko stood back a way, eyes going in every direction all seemingly at the same second. His mind screamed at him in pain as he multitasked hundreds of directions all at the one moment. The air around his head warped gently as he directed multiple samurai attack formations at the same time. And during all of this, he would still try shoot down the odd spirate with a telekinetic ball, rendering it unconscious long enough for it to be easily be picked off by a samurai. His hair was constantly being blown forward from the missiles flying in from over head. He marvelled at Su's genius. The speed and agility she had given to her creation defied logic. An attack would still be screaming in over his head when another from the complete opposite side of the spirate nest would be hammering in. Clearly she had every angle possible covered. Noticing a spirate barrelling in to his left, Yoko turned and fired off a telekinetic ball into its head. Instantly rendered unconscious, it crashed into the ground and slid past Yoko, into the firing range of a swordsman. It was quickly disposed of. Hearing a rumble in the distance, he looked over.

Tsuruko was going ballistic. Her blade was but a shining continuum unleashing Ki attacks faster than anyone could see. She dodged multiple spirates flying in, quickly eradicating them. Ash fell in the swordswoman's wake; spirates fleeing as she attacked. A hand rising in the corner of her eye did not slow her one bit. A carefully aimed attack pierced the spirates back and in a scream, it was gone. Eyes blazing a dangerous red, Tsuruko continued. Several samurai stood for a second gobsmacked by her furiousness. They were quickly brought back to their senses when team mates screamed at them to watch out for an attack. Turning back towards the huge mass of shrieking shadows, they tensed before charging after Tsuruko, swords held high.

Ever so slowly, their cumulative efforts began pushing the spirates back into a churning bait ball. Kaolla secured the boundary all by herself, easily picking off any spirate trying to escape. Whenever there wasn't a runaway, she would join in the attack, circling the ball in her mecha, unleashing devastating Ki bombs deep into the spirates midst's. Tsuruko directed the whole south and west side all on her own, screaming out directions all the while attacking. Yoko took control of the east and north sides, telepathically directing at any one time 10 samurai in a sophisticated attack pattern, always 5 steps ahead of anything thrown at him.

Motoko grinned as she unleashed yet another attack. Though she was heavily fatigued after using so much energy, she continued pushing on, knowing they had a clear advantage. Running in closer, she continued attacking. Getting in closer again, she squinted deep into the mass. Something seemed to be forming deep within the dwindling spirates base. Feeling a spirate latch onto her chest, she instantly stopped breathing, unfortunately being caught on the exhale. Dashing backwards, she waved her arm frantically. Several waves smashed into her chest and she smelt the ash as the spirate disappeared. Taking a deep gasping breath she dropped to her knees and quickly caught her breath. Yoko's voice echoed around in her head.

"_Are you ok? You lost focus in there. It seemed very unlike you."_

Motoko looked back into the ball. Now a distance away, she couldn't make out anything. _"I saw something when I was up close. It was like a massive shadow being formed in the centre of them. Do you know anything of it?"_

She saw Yoko frown from a distance._ "No. I haven't heard about anything like that. It may have been something you imagined through the depths of them. But Keitaro was incredibly worried by something he has been feeling for some time now. I cannot rule out – spirate, 7 o'clock and closing in."_

Lashing out with her blade, she cleaved the spirate in two, its pieces going either side of her before settling to the ground in ashes.

"_As I was saying, I cannot rule out this as just an illusion. I will let everyone know about this. I will need to focus to contact everyone. 50 people at any one time is my limit. Though there isn't that many people, its close. Please guard me for a second or two."_

Springing to her feet, Motoko was at his side in a second. Raising her guard, she watched carefully in all directions as a deeper, more echoing voice entered her head.

"_To everyone who I have not yet contacted, this is Yoko. I am currently situated over on the eastern resistance side. Motoko just informed me that she saw something in amongst the spirates. It appeared to be a gathering... no, a single shadow deep in the ball. I have not heard of such a formation before and as such I am telling everyone to extra cautious. I do not know what may happen. Should anyone see anything unusual, simply focus on the word 'spirate' and I shall be able to pick it up. I will then contact you. Out."_

Opening his eyes, a tear slipped down a cheek as the headache hit him.

"Oooooooooh...."

Gripping his forehead, he waited for the pain to subside. Finally opening an eye, he looked up to see Motoko hard at work. It seemed a hundred or so spirates had attacked and were concentrating on her. Unfortunately for them, she easily matched their speed. Finishing up with the last of them, she looked back.

"Done resting yet?"

Yoko nodded hesitantly. Shaking his head would bring back the headache. "Sorry. Every time I try to contact a large group, I get a migraine afterwards for a minute or so. I'm ok now."

Motoko nodded. Readying her blade again, she started to attck but stopped. She frowned and dropped her sword tip. Her eyes began to widen as she looked up in surprise.

"Their... all retreating..."

Yoko looked up, spooked. "I don't know what this is. I haven't heard of spirates ever doing this. Watch out, things may get rough now."

Thousands of spirates were pulling back into the ball. Some remained to fly around the outside lazily but the majority disappeared back into the churning mass.

On the far side, Tsuruko squinted into the ball. She ignored the still torrential downpour of ash around her. "What is that... in the middle! Can you see it?"

Samurai all around the area began to raise their swords. More than a few took a step back as the evil intent emanating from the growing shadow overwhelming them. All of a sudden, a strong wind blasted out, threatening to knock them all over. Straight after that, samurai all around dropped to their knees for a split second as Yoko's horrified voice drilled into their skulls.

"_RETREAT! RETREAT! RETREAT! GET BACK INTO THE BUSHES AND HIDE! __**NOW!**__"_

-------------

Darkness pushed in from all around his vision. In front of his eyes, from all sides and even from behind. Total blackout. Slowly his mind rebooted. Suddenly an immense pain shot into his brain. He tried to scream but couldn't. Suffering in silence, he did nothing but become the pain. Then suddenly, it stopped.

'What... was that?'

Internally groaning, Keitaro struggled to remember anything. Where was he? What was he doing? What was that pain and where did it come from? And what was this dull thudding feeling? Trying his best to focus, he groaned again. As he became more aware of things, he began to remember. That's right, he was in his mind in the middle of a fight. The unimaginable pain was from his broken arm and leg. He happily wondered where it went. Hopefully it won't come back. The only thing he couldn't work out was this increasing pressure and the thud. It seemed very close to where he was thinking from.

"Ugh..."

Working out where his eyes were, Keitaro opened them slowly. The first thing to greet him was crushed rock. Again, the thud pressed in and the ground before his eyes shifted. Funnily though, a squirt of something red splattered the ground before his eyes.

"Blood?"

The thud caused the ground to shift again and more blood to squirt out over the rocks.

"What?"

Rolling over painfully, tired eyes looked up at the sole of a boot. Not given the time to really work out what was happening, it came down. He felt something solid on his face give way and cave in. It didn't hurt though. As it rose again, Keitaro internally raised his index finger.

'Ah, so that's what the annoying thudding is!'

He felt his face reform as the boot pulled away. Frowning, he wondered why.

'Didn't I just break my bones? Why am I healed?'

The boot came down again but he ignored it. He wriggled his fingers on his right hand. They felt fantastic. He twitched his leg. Nothing hurt. It almost felt like someone got in there with a tin of grease and lubed up his knee. He watched as the boot rose again.

'If that means I'm healed, I still have a chance to beat this guy. But what to do about my idea?'

Clearly his overcharging the talent's idea was an epic failure. The only thing he could be greatful for was that the talent rebooted in time it restore him before being destroyed. Feeling the boot on his face yet again, he thought back. He remembered seeing something glowing just before he lost consciousness. Could that have something to do with it?

The boot stomped down again.

Perhaps, just perhaps, his dark had developed its own talents? It would be possible. Evil as it was, it was still a self aware consciousness. So it can't be ruled out. Internally Keitaro grinned. Right. Game on.

The boot came down. But this time something else happened. The creature standing above Keitaro's bloody body frowned. Something had a hold of his foot. Tugging failed to release it. Pulling harder, it gasped oh so softly as the grip on its shoe crushed its foot. Standing still, it made no movement. Slowly, the ground around Keitaro's head began to upheave. An iron like hand shifted its foot out of the road as Keitaro sat up. His other hand adjusted his glasses mangled frames to sit better on his nose. Standing up, Keitaro looked at his darkness. A frown was on his face while total hatred was on the others. Keitaro increased his grip on the creatures' foot. It hissed angrily but still did not move. Raising his arm so that his opponents' leg was at 90 degrees, he snapped his arm sharply. The sudden, extremely powerful movement removed the leg. Instantly, the enormous room was filled with a terrible screech, one that would have sunk a weaker person to their knees instantly. Keitaro's eardrums exploded but he ignored it. As the creature lost its balance, Keitaro attacked. One quick spin through the air and an immensely powerful kick connected with the falling body. Keitaro landed calmly as his darkness was flung thousands of feet away. Looking up, Keitaro's extremely keen eyes searched for something. Anything. After a while, he spotted it. He smiled.

"It's over."

Charging in, Keitaro picked up speed. Quickly gaining momentum, he lowered his head to become more streamlined. Eyeing up his opponent, he frowned. Quickly glancing up at the talent above, a Ki ball entered it. It glowed and then disappeared. Screaming, Keitaro pulled a fist back. The darkling looked up in surprise, its leg stump only having grown back to his knee. Using all the momentum he had, Keitaro brought through a devastating uppercut. He felt his hand connect deep under its throat, up near the jaw hinge. Swinging through, Keitaro separated the head from the body. As the ball rocketed away, Keitaro followed through with a massive kick. He caught the torso up under the ribs and ploughed deep into it. Keitaro's leg followed through high as the body shot off after its head. Quickly looking back, he saw the talent begin to glow again.

Keitaro growled. "Not this time!"

Slapping his palms together, he pulled them away, syphoning the Ki out of his body into a large ball between his fingers. Turning his palms face out, he shouted and released the unstable ball of energy. It smacked into the talent with a sickening slap. As the energy was transferred into the talent, Keitaro watched on as it swelled till it was a perfect circle. Light shone out of it, briefly illuminating the room. It then retracted the light for a second and finally exploded. The shockwave hit Keitaro and flung him backwards. Using the energy gained by the explosion, Keitaro flipped over and landed in an incredible sprint. Quickly pulling away from the rapidly expanding shockwave, Keitaro zoned in on his adversary still flying away far in the distance. Doubling his already sonic like speed, Keitaro drew alongside his target in seconds. Jumping high in the air, Keitaro timed his decent, landing smack in the middle of the torso he kicked away. His knees buried it deep into the earth, a massive impact dragging away from the two as they continued sliding through the rock hard ground. Finally coming to a stop, Keitaro stood up. Pointing one palm down at the mangled body, Keitaro frowned. Firing off a powerful wave into the ground, the earth heaved upwards as Keitaro's Ki destroyed everything. Deep in the middle of his Ki wave, Keitaro could see the remains of the body being torn apart and disintegrated, even the very atoms of its make up being ripped into tiny shreds. Cutting the flow of Ki, Keitaro hung for a second over his crater. He began to fall. Looking over, he saw the shockwave still hammering towards him. Consentrating, he created a telekinetic pad and kicked off it. Front flipping twice, he landed gracefully and sprinted after the head. Drawing away from the shockwave yet again, Keitaro quickly caught up with the now bouncing head. Still moving at an unfathomable speed, Keitaro caught the head like a football. Digging his toes into the ground, Keitaro skidded several hundred meters before finally stopping. Ignoring the explosion growing closer, he looked at the head. Not a lot was left of it. Most of the skin was gone; there were no ears, nose, eyes and only tufts of hair remaining. Its jaw had been totally removed, such was the force of impact Keitaro hit it with. Sighing, Keitaro didn't count his chickens. Raising one powerful arm, Keitaro unleashed a powerful wave into the back of its skull. It instantly dissolved, leaving no trace it ever existed. Dropping his arm, Keitaro looked up at the now very close and very dangerous shockwave. Sighing, Keitaro raised both arms to the side. A gust of wind smashed into his frame, tearing at his clothes, hair and skin. Closing his eyes, he waited for the impact. All of a sudden though, the air blast was no more.

Opening one eye unsurely, a strange sight graced his eyes. A largish room, probably several hundred feet from wall to wall greeted him. Lowering his arms, he looked around. All his talents twinkled happily in the pure light. Taking a few steps forward, he felt his feet tingle. Looking down he saw that every step he took elated a circular ripple effect across the floor.

"What is this?"

The same door he came in through was still there undamaged. Everything was the same, except there were no impact craters. Also, the glorious light. Smiling broadly for the first time in a while, Keitaro began to add it all up.

'Ah, so that's it. Having that creature living in my mind for so long must have corrupted the room. So this is what it is meant to look like! Beautiful... I never realised the human mind was capable of something like this.'

Taking a few more moments to bask in its glory, he remembered something.

'Oh, that's right, everyone's fighting the spirates! I best get back.'

Walking over to the door, he opened it. Taking one last look at the magnificent room, Keitaro smiled. Turning, he stepped out into darkness. The door shut behind him and cut off all light. Strangely, Keitaro now felt like his eyes were closed. Opening them, his blurry vision made out something. He was back. Smiling happily, Keitaro stood up slowly. He absent mindedly dusted off the spider webs that covered his arms and head. He stretched and relished in the feeling of having most of his bones crack and pop. Twisting from side to side, he shivered in pleasure as his back cracked. Looking down to where he was sitting, Keitaro chuckled. He must have been there a long time! All the grass under where he had been sitting had turned yellow and sickly looking.

"Wow, how long have I been gone?"

Picking up his stopwatch, he had a quick look at it. It read 691392 seconds.

He laughed. He hadn't felt this good for thousands of years.

"No, not thousands, millions!"

Quickly converting the time, it came to a week and one day. No wonder he had felt so stiff and sore. Slipping it back into his pocket, he got a whiff of his armpit. Mock gagging, he laughed.

"Man I stink! I'll need a really good bath when this is over. I wonder if the girls will be nice enough to let me and Yoko use the springs for a while? I can only hope!"

Looking up at the sky, he frowned at the disturbing formations beginning to show. Looking over far, far into the distance, he magnified his vision 100'000 fold. He saw Motoko and Yoko running away from an enormous spirate pillar. Something inside Keitaro started nagging him. Spirates always formed a ball when threatened. A pillar was unheard of. Also, one of this size was something Keitaro had never dreamed he would see. Looking around at everyone else, he saw them running for cover. Even Kaolla in her mecha suit was disappearing into the trees to hide. Releasing his Ki, everything shot back to its normal perspective in a sickening slingshot like effect. Keitaro wobbled around for a second before his hungry stomach decided not to heave. Shaking his head, Keitaro started running towards the cliff. Energy swirled around him as he took his body weight on his right leg. A short pause was all he needed to vanish. If someone on the ground was looking up, they could see him flying towards the danger zone at aircraft like speeds. He ran through the air, jumping off telekinetic air pads to hasten him along.

"Don't worry everyone, I'll save you!"

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A/N – I LOVED writing this chapter!!! I got goosebumps while writing it! Has this happened to anyone else? How awesome is it!? I wrote all this down in about 3 hours I got into the story that bad =D enjoy, R'n'R and all that people! I hope you liked it!


	21. Chapter 21

Wow first kind of flame... Interesting =D I don't watch teenage mutant ninja turtles so I don't have a clue what you're on about but ok! I'll look into the errors myself seeming as you didn't get back to my PM.

To everyone, Abel Nightcross, ForsakenKyo-kun, rincewind2012, Timberillo, kidcrud, Konanakt and anyone else I missed (sorry!) thank you so much for the continued support! I won't let you down!

Own nothing

**Chapter 21**

Keitaro sailed through the air, dodging a flock of birds startled by his sudden appearance. Dusting the feathers out of his hair, he looked down. He saw his faithful dorms standing solid, apparently undisturbed by everything going on around. Keitaro grinned happily, massaging his whole head.

"That infernal headache has gone too! Hahahaha this is absolute bliss! Who would have guessed it was because of that darkling thing that I was having so many of these problems? I'm just so happy!!!"

Looking back up, Keitaro was about to fly past his dorms when a horrific growl echoed out. Keitaro patted his stomach.

"Hmmm. Hungry."

Rolling onto his back, he kicked off a pad and dropped towards the earth. He landed with a soft thud right in front of the main doorway. Patting down his clothes, he briskly walked in. He saw Shinobu's head pop out from behind the divider.

"SENPAI!!!"

Dashing over, she took him up in an enormous hug. All the wind forced out of him, Keitaro could swear he felt some bones cracking in there somewhere.

'This girl has strength to rival Naru!'

Keitaro had already come to terms with the fact that Naru and himself would never have anything more than a fleeting relationship. As such, he had dropped calling her by her last name. Coming back to reality, Keitaro managed a tiny 'eep' to let Shinobu know he needed air. The small girl looked up and let go instantly, blushing heavily. Keitaro instantly sucked in a generous lung full of the precious gas.

"I-I'm sorry Senpai I didn't realise what I was doing! On second thoughts I shouldn't have even been hugging you, that's reserved for girlfriends and I'm most certainly not your girlfriend or anything like that..."

Her babbling was cut short by Keitaro's hand on her head. She looked up through her hair. "Shinobu, you would make a fine girlfriend. Now, I need food really badly before I go off to help Motoko and Tsuruko. I am positively starving!"

Shinobu blushed more. "R...r...right away Senpai!"

'He said I would be a fine girlfriend! Me! A fine girlfriend! To him? I don't know! But, a girlfriend!'

Keitaro chuckled as she floated away. Turning to look up at the stairs, he saw Kitsune standing there. "Hey, what's up?"

The fox sidled down the stairs, a glint in her slit of an eye. "Hey tiger. You've been gone a while; we've been worried. What you been doing?"

Keitaro laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, you know, this and that."

She leaned down with a smirk on her pretty features. "Come now, surely you must have been doing more than 'this and that'. From how you just spoke to Shinobu, I'd say you went and grew yourself a set. Correct?"

Keitaro's nose tinged the faintest red. "Well, I guess you could say something like that. More like a super, Su style detox though. What have you girls been up to while I've been gone?"

Kitsune shivered, not even trying to imagine a super Su detox. "It has been ULTRA boring. Motoko's stiff of a sister wouldn't let any of us out sight. For all her talk and light heartedness, she almost acts like she swallowed a pole down both ends. I'm running so low on sake that it's not funny! I'm practically down to the grime that coats the bottom of a good bottle. Do you have any idea how bad that is?"

Keitaro laughed. "Nah, sorry can't say I do. I don't think I really want to either..."

To Keitaro's eager ears, Shinobu's almost melodic voice floated out into the room. "Keitaro-senpai, food!"

With speed to match Su, Keitaro was at the table, chopsticks in hand. Kitsune followed a second later, eyes open in surprise. "Hunny, I don't think even in that match you had with Motoko did you move quite as fast as you did just then. What has Kaolla done to you? Did she inject some of her food loving side into you?"

Keitaro's stomach let out a dangerous grumble. Kitsune actually took a step back. "Nah, I'm just reeeeally hungry. I haven't eaten in over a week so, yea, food is pretty high on the agenda."

Kitsune chuckled. "And from how you smelt out there I'm guessing a bath is a close second."

Keitaro nodded. With that, Shinobu popped around the corner holding two massive bowls, one packed full of sweet ramen, the other overloaded with dazzling rice. Keitaro struggled to control his drool.

"Enjoy, Senpai!"

Turning, Shinobu started walking back to the kitchen. She froze when she heard a massive sucking sound and two plates hitting the table.

"Seconds?"

She turned to see Keitaro blushing and Kitsune in a posture that just screamed 'you did NOT just do that!' Smiling happily that Keitaro was enjoying her food so much, she quickly grabbed the plates and returned with them overloaded with food. Again the substance in the bowls were devoured instantly. This process went on for some time till the girl was struggling to catch her breath. Kitsune had since left, overwhelmed with the volume of food being ingested. And Keitaro was sitting very happily, dabbing his mouth with the corner of a serviette.

"Fantastic Shinobu! You truly are a genius when it comes to food. Even with all my travels, your cooking still places number one on my list!"

Standing, he let out a satisfied burp before walking to the door. Winding an arm around a few times, he looked back at Shinobu. "I gotta go now ok? But I'll be back with Motoko and Yoko in no time!"

The little chef ran over to him. "Be careful ok? Those horrible spirate things are everywhere!"

Keitaro nodded. "I will. Thankyou once again for the wonderful meal!"

Leaning down, he brushed aside her fringe and kissed her forehead. "Time to go!"

Shinobu instantly went woozy. Turning, Keitaro saw her collapsing. Catching her just in time, he carried her across to the couch. Laying her down, he smiled at her. "So innocent..."

"KEITARO YOU IDIOT WHAT DID YOU DO TO SHINOBU?"

Looking up, he saw Naru charging in, eyes blazing. A fist connected with his jaw and sent him flying. Bursting through the roof, Keitaro righted himself and looked down. The hole was only small and as an added bonus, he was headed in the direction he needed to. Spreading his arms for stability, he carried along. Naru was tending to a still unconscious Shinobu when she heard something. "What...?"

Looking up at the hole, she could still hear the echo. "Thankyou Naru!"

----------

Motoko and Yoko hung back behind the bushes. Motoko peered out at the swirling mass, extremely uneasy. Yoko was behind her, holding his knees to his chest, rocking slightly. It was that that had Motoko so on edge. As soon as she heard Yoko scream into her mind, she turned and saw the boy looking up in horror. Following his eyes, she looked into the spirates. Her eyes widened as well as she came to grips with what was happening inside it. The shadow she had seen was growing, absorbing spirates by the thousands. Though she didn't understand it, her instincts told her well enough to get the hell out of there as fast as possible and hide. Turning tail, she looked on in surprise as Yoko ran and over took even the most agile of her comrades. He dived into a bush without trace. Running over to him, Motoko leaned in when she saw him muttering something.

"Not possible, not possible, not possible, not possible, not possible..."

Though she shook him a few times, she couldn't get much more out of him than that. So drawing her sword, she lay in wait. She saw several of her kin diving behind rocks and bushes around her, all nerves practically spring loaded. Looking back up, the interior shadow continued to grow. It was now over 50 feet tall and beginning to develop appendages from odd spots on its body. The evil and menace that was coming from it had the hairs on Motoko's body standing high on end. Never had she encountered such a purely evil being. Looking over to her left, she saw one of the oldest samurai eyeing it up cautiously. Moving over to him, she nudged him.

"What do you sense?"

He shook his head. "Not sense. Have a look at the limbs on it. Doesn't seem like their directing something?"

Motoko looked up and focused on the little arms. They were waving gently, almost directing something like the old samurai had said. Being younger, Motoko's keen eyes then picked up on something that the senior didn't.

"It's directing the spirates!"

Giving Motoko a puzzled look, the older man squinted up. Sure enough, the spirates were altering direction where ever the arms pointed. They flowed around one another like stirred up water. Some moved up towards the head of the beast, others continued to circle while others yet were sucked into the still growing body. Onwards it grew in power and strength till Motoko simply fell back onto her rear in awe. Finally, the now 100 foot tall monster seemed to be complete. Its whole body was a translucent fog, creatures no longer discernable as spirates circling within its belly. Foul disfigured arms and legs hung from its sides at random. Hands and feet hung from these, though not every arm was limited to a hand. Several had a foot instead. Others had more than one hand or foot. The head of it was tiny and hanging from a neck that appeared to have an elbow joint in the middle of it. Deep red eyes glowed in the middle of the head, seemingly peering down at everyone around it. The base of it was shrouded in an unearthly fog. Spirates darted in and out of it, their cries the only noise breaking the silence. The head and neck began to rotate around, surveying the area. After finally completing one painstakingly slow revolution, it seemed to crouch down. It raised all its limbs and instantly a hurricane gale blew out from where it was standing. Trees and bushes were uprooted, rocks were thrown across the ground and several samurai were sent spinning into the distance. Motoko had dived back to Yoko and had buried her sword into the ground just as the wind struck. She held Yoko with a death grip as they flapped in the wind. After what seemed an age, the force subsided and they were lowered to the ground. Reefing her sword from the ground, she brought the flat of the blade across Yoko's backside. He yelped and looked up, tears in his eyes.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Motoko lifted his head up and made him look at the massive form in front of them. "Now that you're not babbling nonsense, tell me what that is!"

When Yoko saw it, he tried to scamper away but was held in place. Turning back, he looked up at her, the fear overpowering his mind. "I have no idea what THAT is! But I swear it spoke into my mind before! I swear it! That's why I shouted at everyone to hide! It was unlike anything I had ever heard before..."

Motoko's eyes thinned. "What did it say?"

Yoko swallowed and glanced from Motoko to the creature and back again. "I-it said... it said... not even your gods can save you now."

Motoko looked back up at the massive body. Its little head was looking straight down at them. Its eyes were slits and should it have had a mouth, Motoko suspected it would have been smiling. Ki began to swirl around the girl as she stood up. She looked across and saw her sister already blazing in power, eyes glowing. They took several steps towards the massive creature and stood side by side, auras mixing. Lowering their stances, they readied their swords.

"**Gods' Cry School Ultimate Strike: Shin Lightning Slash!"**

Instantly the two sisters were enveloped in a blinding light as energy poured out of them. The area around them began to shake and rock, smaller stones around them levitating into the air as their power increased. Finally in one massive cry, the sisters unleashed the attack directly into the chest of the beast. Its eyes widened as the super charged Ki wave slammed into it. A deafening shriek instantly filled the air and minds of everyone. Samurai all over clapped their hands to their ears as the noise quickly overpowered their senses. Motoko and Tsuruko dropped to the ground, a shrill scream leaving both their mouths as they fought to keep the noise at bay. It went on, ash beginning to rain down from the sky as if Mt. Fuji had erupted that very second. Through the shriek, the swordsmen and women could hear explosions firing off from the now dust obscured monstrosity as the Ki wave ripped through its body. The crippling scream cut out occasionally, giving some relief before returning in full strength. After what seemed an eternity, the scream began to subside. The voice dimmed and began to retreat from the minds of all effected. Eventually, all that was left was a small cry that was whisked away by the blowing wind. Motoko and Tsuruko stood up, reclaiming their dropped swords and standing tall. A churned up dust cloud covered their victim, no movement visible inside it. Dropping the tips of their swords, the women stood silently. Several of the samurai behind them looked into the cloud, desperately trying to see anything.

"Is it over?"

Motoko and Tsuruko stayed silent as some of the swordsmen behind them began to laugh hesitantly. Surely this should be it they mused. That was the strongest attack known to the school and it was performed and combined by the two strongest warriors in generations. Nothing could have survived that. The raising of the two strongest sisters swords instantly put that in doubt. Not a second later, a blast of Ki charged wind slammed into the sisters. They managed to resist for a second before being overcome. They flew backwards into the crowd standing behind them. Several caught Motoko while Yoko and another caught Tsuruko. Dropping them back to the ground, the group looked up in amazement. The dust cloud shifted as the creature within moved. It stood up, head poking through the top of the dust.

"_That hurt bitches!"_

Everyone took a step back in surprise; Yoko in panic. Tsuruko looked at Yoko unsurely. Did that thing just speak into their minds? Yoko took several more steps back. He saw Tsuruko looking at him. He shook his head, mouth gaping.

"It's not possible, not possible! Spirates are stupid creatures! They can't even organise themselves into pairs let alone even try to comprehend telepathy! It's like trying to teach an ant how to use this era's internet! It cannot be possible!"

The massive form above looked down, a split appearing where the mouth should have been. It separated away into a sickening smile. _"Hahaha that's the spirates you used to know worm. You only wish you were back in the year 5 million. We were total dumb shits then I admit. Not like it matters now though I suppose. I am as I am now and there ain't a damned thing little rug rats like you could do to stop me! Now, after that wretched attack those two whores decided to hit me with, I think I can open up a can of whoop-ass on you guys."_

Its eyes glowed a sickly red and a Ki bolt hammered out of the closest finger pointed at them. It struck the earth just in front of where they all stood. The ground disintegrated and everyone standing was thrown backwards with the force of the shockwave. Yoko hit the ground and rolled several times before coming to rest. He looked up but quickly dropped his head as the body of a large swordsman bounced over, only just missing him. Looking up again, what he saw scared the life out of him. Samurai all over were being blasted by this...things... Ki attacks and what's more, they were being annihilated! Some were thrown away to disappear behind uprooted trees and rocks while more unlucky ones slammed into the few remaining trees. They hung on the trunks for a second, winded, before slipping down to land in an awkward pile at the base of the trees. Everyone got up again but with varying degrees of readiness. Several were concussed badly. They staggered around before finally being propped up by a friend. Looking up at the massive being, Yoko's heart froze when he saw it staring directly at him.

"_What you gona do now, little bitch? Your precious saviour Keitaro-sama isn't here to wipe your ass for you this time. I think you'll make a fine spirate. Now... join me."_

A hole opened up in its chest and hundreds of spirates were created and flung out, all screaming deadly intent as they targeted Yoko. His fear filled eyes didn't even register the multiple Ki attacks being launched by the swordsmen, intercepting many of the ghosts. All he saw was their smiling faces staring at him.

'This is it...'

He covered his head with his arms.

"_Yes, this is it, little bitch."_

The spirates circled closer.

'Keitaro... where are you?'

He heard the evil creatures' laughter echoing around inside his head. Holding his breath, he felt his body bombarded by the light weight assailants. They all begged for entrance, trying to push their way into his nose and mouth. Ash fell around him as Motoko and Tsuruko fired Ki waves at the spirates on him. But for every one hit, another replaced it instantly. Anyone that got too close instantly had to contend with 10 or so spirates, forcing them backwards. Yoko felt his breath running out. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the telepathic voice.

"_Come on, just one breath. It only hurts for a moment and then it's all over."_

'No, I want to live! GO TO HELL!'

He suddenly felt the spirates in his body stop pressing at his nose and mouth. They gave a puzzled cry before they swelled and exploded into ash. Yoko instantly took the chance to take a deep, greedy gulp of air before holding his breath again. He heard the spirates screaming all around him but none seemed to be making it to him anymore. Opening one tentative eye, he looked around. Spirates were barrelling in with fury, only to explode just before touching Yoko. He saw the massive beast before him raise an 'eyebrow' as all its spirates were incinerated. Opening both eyes, Yoko looked up in amazement as he saw tiny thin streaks of purple darting out of nowhere to strike every single spirate straight through the heart. Hearing a grunt, he looked up to see the giant thing before him seal up the hole in its stomach that the spirates were materialising out of. Just as it sealed over, a massive Ki ball smashed into its chest. It screamed in pain and fury as it was pushed backwards. The ball exploded and sent the massive being stumbling before falling to its back. Motoko looked around in amazement, trying to work out where the powerful attack had originated from.

"What's that?"

Looking up and following the finger pointed, Motoko saw a small black dot rapidly growing in the sky. Tsuruko's eyes widened in surprise.

"Keitaro?"

A distant call echoed out, just reaching their ears. "Hi guys! Sorry to keep you waiting! ... Just watch out for me please?"

Everyone took several unsure steps back, wondering what was going on. Yoko saw Keitaro flying in and gasped. He quickly turned and ran behind a large rock to his right. Only a few seconds later, Keitaro smashed into the ground in front of the group. Everyone instantly grabbed hold of the nearest person for stability as the ground beneath them rippled and bowed from the impact. When everything settled, Keitaro walked out of the hole, dusting his clothes off and smiling sheepishly. Motoko dropped a hand to her hip, clearly annoyed.

"You could have slowed your decent somewhat so you didn't have to do that."

Keitaro scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I guess I got caught up in the moment."

Motoko sighed. "Well, be less caught up in your moment and be focused on the task at hand. We still have this being before us to defeat."

The smile dropped from his face and he nodded. Turning, he faced the extremely agitated monster lifting itself from the ground. It looked over its shoulder and saw Keitaro. Its eyes widened but only for a split second. Keitaro was the only one to notice it. Walking towards the creature, Keitaro frowned.

"Creature, what are you and why are you here? What is your purpose and intent?"

A voice entered Keitaro's mind. It instantly had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

"_Ah so the great Keitaro shows himself. Funny, from what I was told you were up in the mountains playing tiggy with that darkling locked inside that bowling ball of yours."_

Keitaro's instinct was telling him to attack this thing instantly. The only thing holding him back was curiosity. _"How did you know about that, monster?"_

A hurt voice entered his mind. _"Monster? That ain't very nice! Surely you can see I'm a highly evolved creature like yourself."_

Keitaro shook his head._ "No, from what I know all you are is an accumulation of spirates. I don't understand how you have gained higher thought and the ability to communicate telepathically but you are nothing but a spirate in all senses of the word."_

The voice entered again in a lecturing tone. _"Yes, I am a spirate but I am far more evolved than any of these brain dead pieces of tissue paper floating around me. Ever since my first breath of this magnificent air, my mind began developing. I didn't really want any competition so anything I divided I made sure to keep at the level of the spirates you remember from your time. They can't do alot I must admit but it's pretty fun watching them chase you humans around. Bahahaha you bipods can sure move fast when you want!"_

Keitaro growled. He spoke out loud. "Human beings are not play things. They have more right to exist than you because you are but a shadow of our race. A failed genetic cloning experiment. If you had been able to co-exist with humans, nothing would be wrong. But as you so clearly demonstrate, your kind does not deserve life simply because you threaten all things."

The being shook its head sadly. It looked at everyone gathered behind the lad. This time everyone heard what it said. _"Don't you understand? With me, I can fix your problem! I will unite all nations under me to live in harmony and peace. Do you wish to deny your species what I can offer?"_

Ki flared around Keitaro as bones in his fists cracked. It seemed very intelligent and obviously knew how to use words. "What you offer is total annihilation of every living creature! Every single organism would become like it was dead! You yourself said you keep the spirates below you at a pre-evolved state because you didn't want any competition. Yes there will always be differences among us but it is that that makes us unique! Doing what you suggest is taking away the very thing that makes us human. Your hollow plan, no matter how you word it, is to take over the world. And I will not allow it."

The beast shrugged. Or, tried its best. _"Well, if you say it that way, yeah, I guess it would be like I would own this rock. Interesting idea actually... Your species always referred to royalty as Kings and Queens. Though I have no gender, the King was the most powerful being. So, I guess you can bow down to me. Because I will become your King. Worship me, because very soon, you shall be one with me."_

"**NEVER!!!"**

The sheer force of the shout from Keitaro generated a massive shockwave that smashed into the king spirate. It was bowled over backwards several times. Regaining its composure, it looked up in shock. Keitaro was hunched over, positively glowing in rage. His powerful aura stretched up over double his height. Gusts of wind buffered his clothes and hair and everyone surrounding him. His eyes had turned completely black. Removing his glasses, he threw them to Tsuruko. The previous heir looked at Keitaro, a usually hidden feeling beginning to surface. She was scared. Seeing the look on her face, Keitaro smiled, showing her he was still all there. "Don't worry. I won't be losing myself like I did before. I destroyed that part of me while I was away."

Turning back to face his enemy, Keitaro's voice floated out gently, seemingly throbbing in latent power. "Watch the skies for rogue spirates. Take out any that try to escape."

Tsuruko paused a second. The raw power Keitaro was unleashing was sending her mind blank. Finally regaining control of her higher brain function, she turned to everyone. "Yoko, you team up with Motoko again. She'll make sure you stay safe. Everyone else, as you were around the area. Do as Keitaro said and remove any fleeing spirates. Su, you stay at a distance and monitor Keitaro. I assume your mecha has that ability?" She was met with a loud 'YES SIR!' Tsuruko pointed an arm to her left. "Ok. Fall back and watch him. Also, if you can, pick off any spirates we may miss. Questions?"

No hands raised. Frowning, Tsuruko turned her back to them. "Ok, GO!"

In a blur of movement, the swordsmen disappeared.

Keitaro watched as the king rose to its feet, its thousands of spirates now circling it rapidly, screaming incessantly. Keitaro's face disappeared behind his fringe. His aura increased in size again. "This ends here."

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A/N – I hope this was ok. It didn't quite feel like it flowed at the end as well as I may have liked. Please let me know what you think?

Anyway, the big fight is in the next chapter! See you then!


	22. Chapter 22

This is the big one!!! Strap yourselves in things get brutal now XD Get into it!!

I own this fight scene mwahahahaha

**Chapter 22**

Keitaro gripped his skull as a massive pain cleaved his brain in two. Cells everywhere began to be ripped apart totally against their will. They screamed blue murder as the infection spread. Keitaro raised his head high and howled in mind blowing agony. He heard his voice begin to contort and break, one separating into a higher falsetto and the other dropping to a medium baritone. Ripping at his hair, one last thought was remembered before everything in sight was blanketed in the brilliant sheet of pure white pain.

'HOW?? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?'

-----------

*Several hours earlier*

Keitaro heard the whoosh of air behind him as the samurai disbanded. Su's mecha rumbled into life, rocketing high into the sky. Keitaro looked up at his massive adversary. It began moving in, growling deeply. A limb came flying in from nowhere. Keitaro kicked off his stone perch, the attack missing him by millimetres. A loud boom sounded out behind him. Keitaro looked down and saw the rock become rubble under the powerful swing. His eyes widened as another several arms came flying in from all directions. He arched and bowed, ducking and weaving around the multiple attacks. Keitaro bit his lip in annoyance as he craned his neck backwards, barely avoiding a swipe at his head. Though the beast was slow, it had so many arms that it really made it difficult to avoid. That and it had no real body mass so reading its movements was incredibly hard.

Seeing a particularly thick arm coming in, Keitaro kicked off a telekinetic pad, straight into the swing of a separate arm. Raising a hand, Keitaro deflected the blow easily but an unnoticed attack to his neck and shoulders caught him unguarded. His eyes widened for a split second before he smashed into the ground. Rocks and boulders heaved as Keitaro disappeared into the earth. Not a second later, dust and stone exploded outwards as Keitaro rocketed out. He shot towards the head of the king, weaving, twisting and jumping his way through hundreds of arms and legs. Raising a fist, Keitaro began to growl as his fist was wrapped up in a purple haze. Finally making it through the flurry of limbs, Keitaro brought his punch through and connected solidly with the underside of the creatures head. It shrilled in pain and its entire 100 foot plus body was lifted into the air. It was thrown backwards into the trees, landing heavily, destroying everything. Its arms and legs all rotated to the lower side of its body and gave a massive heave, throwing itself upright. It called to its spirates and they flew into it, disappearing into its body. A second later, its eyes blazed red and its arms extended, all limbs flying in rapidly.

The punches and kicks all met air as Keitaro became a blur, his form flickering between the high speed attacks. Suddenly, a thunderclap echoed out as Keitaro's fist met the spirates fist. The shockwave flattened everything within 200 feet, several samurai being thrown backwards. The spirate took its chance. Arms bowed around and aimed for Keitaro. The boy glowed brightly as his strength quadrupled and he quickly began destroying the onslaught of arms.

Hands and feet were severed in explosions of black blood, the dark liquid quickly covering Keitaro in it. Ki attacks started being fired out, Keitaro launching small nimble balls into the confusion. The arms and legs seemed to have minds of their own as when targeted, they all avoided the energy balls and began trying to re-attack. Keitaro quickly learned though and began redirecting his Ki balls with his pounding mind. His eyes flickered independently of one another, both simultaneously processing and countering the seemingly thousands of attacks and all the while controlling the flight pattern of anything up to 50 Ki attacks all in one moment.

To the onlookers, the air around his head seemed to be ringed with throbbing air balls, all expanding and contracting through one another as different parts of Keitaro's brain was brought into use. Keitaro began sweating heavily; the onslaught becoming increasingly heavy. Finally a greatly disfigured hand managed to grab his arm and instantly Keitaro was bombarded with a million body parts, all intent on totally destroying him. He disappeared into the deluge, his body vanishing behind the sheer number of attacks. A second later, light began to shine between the gaps before all the arms and legs exploded outwards, incinerated by Keitaro's screaming aura.

His battle cry covered the area, the power laced voice almost blanketing the ground. The King Spirate screamed in pain and fury as its limbs temporally returned to spirates before they exploded into bright fireworks of ash. Quickly forming a telekinetic pad, Keitaro kicked forward. His body turned to a streak as his powerful legs shot him straight into the chest of the spirate. Its eyes widened in shock as a crater boomed into its breast, the impact of the hit pushing through its body and forcing its back out into a distended hump for a moment. Air was forced from its mouth in a hurricane, the wind smashing into Keitaro and sending him flying backwards into the trees.

The King Spirate was forced off its feet, rolling across the ground for several hundred metres before coming to rest against a massive rock. A tree disappeared over the horizon after a powerful throw from Keitaro. Dropping a hand to his knee, he breathed heavily as sweat dripped off his nose. His breathing hitched as he swallowed. Wiping a sleeve across his brow, he stood tall as he waited for his adversary to stand up.

A small smirk reached his lips. This was fun.

-------

Motoko stood alongside Yoko and they both looked up in disbelief. Yoko was simply amazed at the speed and strength that Keitaro was displaying. He couldn't even keep up with his friends' movements as he flickered between the deluge of attacks. Occasionally he and Motoko were distracted as a spirate tried to escape past them. They would dispose of it quickly and when they turned back to the fight, it took them several seconds to relocate Keitaro, him having moved several hundred meters in that short amount time.

For Motoko though, the shock of Keitaro's ability was more than just watching him. She could sense his Ki levels and with her increased vision, she could see the rings circling his head, like a demented halo. Every attack Keitaro launched sent her mind reeling. Everything she had ever known about the possibilities of human limits was being blown out of the water rapidly by this... superhuman before her. She looked at her sword and her grip trembled.

"How can he be so strong? I am like a fly to him..."

"MOTOKO!"

Looking up in surprise, she saw Yoko holding off about 10 spirates, all hell bent on escaping. Unleashing several Ki attacks into them, the two of them winced as the piercing screams sounded out before small bangs sounded out, accompanied by soft ash. Looking at Yoko, she dropped her head slightly.

"My apologies. I lost concentration for a moment."

Yoko just smiled and reached out, ruffling her hair. "No worries. Just make sure you don't zone out long enough for us to be divided."

Motoko instantly went deep red and fury burned in her eyes. "Had this not been in the middle of a battle and I would have smitten you for that! Don't you dare do that again!"

Yoko backed up slightly. "Whoa there I wasn't trying to trample your pride or whatever. But ok, you got it."

Motoko huffed and turned away, still red across her nose. 'Stupid male.'

They looked back up and continued watching the fight for a few more minutes before Motoko sensed a presence. Looking off to her side, she saw Tsuruko approaching. A spirate zeroed in on her but was disposed of before it even knew it had been attacked. Reaching them, Tsuruko growled.

"Irritating phantoms." Looking back up, she saw she had Motoko's attention. "Motoko, I have come here as I have been planning a mass attack on the king spirate. Currently Keitaro is making it use up a considerable amount of energy as you most probably sensed. To aid him, I wish to have all samurai attack the king spirate in one motion. Assuming that it has been weakened enough, we could very well destroy it in that one moment."

Motoko nodded, excitement brewing. Tsuruko looked across to Yoko. "Yoko, you are a very important component in this. You are to contact Keitaro and inform him of our doings. Once completed, you are to contact one member of each group. You will be the one to countdown the attack."

Yoko nodded, an unusually serious look on his face. "Understood. Thankyou for the idea of only contacting one person per group too. It will make things much easier."

Tsuruko smiled but it was quickly replaced with a growl. Another spirate had tried to attack the group but Motoko had destroyed it. The remaining ash has then proceeded to settle all over Tsuruko's hair and clothes. Dusting her hair out, Tsuruko sighed.

"The sooner this is over the sooner I can take a bath. I will return here once I have finished telling everyone about the attack. Yoko, please tell Keitaro. I will be back soon."

They watched as the green haired beauty ran off, again targeted by a spirate. Motoko allowed herself a smirk when she heard her sister shout out a curse at the persistent assailant before incinerating it. Turning to Yoko who was also having a laugh, she nodded. He snickered again but nodded back. Concentrating, he reached out to Keitaro.

"_Keitaro! Yo buddy can you hear me?"_

Several seconds past before a very soft voice filled his head.

"_Yeah... I'm here... sorry... I'm gona... take a... while to respond sorry... pretty busy..."_

Yoko sighed. _"That's ok buddy. Look, Tsuruko just payed us a visit and she has come up with a plan. With you kicking ass over the king spirate and all, she has decided to have every samurai attack in one moment on the thing. She was like, seeming you have weakened it heaps, if everyone hits it, they could kill it."_

Several more seconds passed. Yoko began to tap impatiently but then his eyes widened. Dropping to his knees he screamed in agony while clutching his head.

"Yoko!"

Motoko quickly rushed to his side, holding the agonised lad upright. But as quickly as the pain had arrived, it disappeared. She saw his eyes flickering beneath tightly clenched eyelids before they opened, exhaustion present. He looked up at her wearily.

"Sorry, that was Keitaro. Seeming he's in such a demanding position, he can't really regulate the amount of force he was putting into talking to me. Thankfully he cut of quickly because he nearly made my head explode, quite literally. He told me that little detail." He swallowed nervously. "But yeah... he told me that's a good idea. He said don't worry about him when we attack, he won't die anyway."

Motoko nodded and looked up at Keitaro. She frowned, her understanding of the boy growing which left her even more respect for him. And also a touch of fear. Even while fighting this thing, he still had enough power to kill a person, and simply because he put a bit much concentration into communicating.

'Should he want, he could kill every single person on this planet. I feel less and less safe around him, even knowing he is fighting on our side.'

A bang above them made the pair look up. Ash was settling down upon them as Tsuruko walked over, a seedy smile on her face.

"My, my, what do we have here? Motoko, I didn't know you had feelings for him."

Instantly bright red, Motoko stood upright giving Yoko a hard shove as she got up. He toppled backwards, legs high in the air.

"THAT IS NOT TRUE SISTER! I was simply tending to him because Keitaro nearly killed him!!"

Tsuruko's eyes widened. "What?!"

Motoko just realised what she said. She struggled to remember what Yoko had said but was saved by that said boy.

"It's ok Tsuruko. Keitaro just put a bit much force into his conversation with me. Had he not cut off when he did I would have popped like a firecracker, but I'm ok now."

Tsuruko nodded, a frown staying on her face. Clearly Keitaro was immensely underestimated, even with the incredible battle raging behind them. Yoko pushed himself from the dirt and dusted his clothes down.

"Anyway, after that Keitaro told me that's a great idea. You can attack at any time as it doesn't matter if he gets hit."

Tsuruko nodded again. Looking at Motoko, she raised her sword towards the king spirate. "We shall take this thing out after Keitaro weakens it further. Till then – "

A loud clap echoed out behind them causing them to look up suddenly.

"WATCH OUT!!!"

Eyes wide, the three spectators dived out of the way, just as Keitaro streaked into the ground behind them. Pushing their faces out of the dirt, they looked over their shoulders in utter amazement.

"Keitaro? Are you ok?"

Jumping up, they ran to the edge of the hole. Looking in, they saw a broken and bloodied hand sticking out of the ground. Most of the skin was gone and Yoko held his stomach, glad he couldn't see what the rest of his friend looked like. Though they had seen it before, they still watched on in awe as skin, muscles and tendons snaked their way up over the exposed limb, quickly healing it back to full strength. The ground then heaved and Keitaro pulled himself out easily, large rocks and dirt not slowing him at all. Standing tall, his aura still flared strongly. His black eyes looked up at them, unsettling even Tsuruko. They were quickly reassured when he gave them his trademark smile.

"Hey guys! How are you going on this front? I nearly had it then but I got smacked for not paying attention. By the way Tsuruko, good idea! Just wait a bit longer and I'll let you know when to attack."

He looked over sheepishly at Yoko. "Hey, sorry about that before too. I'll be more careful next time."

His friend nodded but put his hands to his head, gently massaging his temples. "Please do. I don't wana die here because of friendly fire."

A growl behind them alerted them to the king spirate moving. Turning, they saw it advancing on them quickly. Keitaro looked around at his friends.

"Please get away from here, this area's going to get dangerous."

Looking back up at the giant spirate, Keitaro's Ki flared as the other three ran back. The ground buckled under the force of the pressure as Keitaro kicked off, straight back into the chest of the spirate.

---------

Shinobu stood out the front of the Hinata inn, hands clasp in front of her chest, worry covering her pretty face. Deep rumbles echoed out in the distance around a massive black shadow standing something like 200 feet tall. The news had been trying to report on what was going on but due to some unnaturally powerful winds coming from the area, no helicopters could get within reach of it. Also, whenever a camera was pointed in that direction, the screen was whited out, some seemingly supernatural electrical field distorting the lens. Thus, no matter how much they tried the news could only speculate on what was going on.

The girls left at the inn were understandably extremely nervous. Kitsune had snuck off and practically bought the local liquor store out with funds unknown. Once returned, she had proceeded to down bottle after bottle until she passed out in a calm heap on the couch. Naru also had a few bottles to herself but it did nothing for the fearful girl other than make her run to the toilet, bladder bursting. Shinobu had left the room to watch outside, praying diligently that all her friends would be ok. Hearing the door behind her open, she turned to see Mutsumi walking out. She smiled gently at the smaller girl and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You ok, Shinobu?"

The younger of the two dropped her head, eyes hidden beneath her hair. "Honestly... no. I'm so scared for everyone."

Mutsumi pulled her into a tight hug. Looking down at the worried young lady, her reassuring eyes brought comfort to the worried girl.

"That's ok. But just remember, it's Motoko and Su there! Surely they'll be ok. And remember who else... Keitaro is. He's watching over us and them too! So I can say with full confidence that everything will be ok."

Shinobu looked over in the direction of the muffled booms and explosions. Still extremely nervous, she nodded. Keitaro-senpai was there! Nothing could go wrong. Taking the outstretched hand offered, they walked back into the house. Mutsumi began talking about all sorts of nonsense, momentarily distracting the young girl with her babble. Smiling to herself, she cast one last glance over at the war zone.

'Keep everyone safe, just like you promised Kei-kun. I believe in you!'

--------

Su hovered several hundred feet above the war zone below. Safe within her little bubble, she focused on wiping out any spirates too high for the samurai to reach. She giggled as the G-forces tugged at her left, right, up and down. The speed that her mecha moved nearly had her throwing up but Su was thoroughly enjoying every last second of it. Deep red lasers shot from just under her port, consuming any hapless spirate unfortunate enough to be touched. Occasionally, she took a quick look at Keitaro's stats and each time was amazed by his energy output. "He is creating enough power to light up the city for a week! Perhaps I could harness it somehow... Hmmm."

Quickly whipping out her notepad, she scribbled down some incredibly complex equations. Smiling when she reached a plausible conclusion, she tucked the crumpled piece of paper down her top and under her bra strap. Dropping her note book to the floor, she grinned happily. 'Just you wait till this is over Keitaro. I'll gather enough energy from you to power Tokyo for the next 10 years!"

Seeing multiple spirates trying to escape, she hollered a battle cry before pursuing them diligently. Their harrowing screams were quickly silenced as red lights shot through their chests, baking them from the inside out. Taking out several more, she stiffened and looked up in surprise as she heard a voice.

"What's this?"

Flicking on the auto pilot, Kaolla listened intently.

"_Hey Su its Yoko here. Tsuruko is planning a mass attack on the king spirate. Basically everyone will attack it with everything they have on my signal. Don't worry about hitting Keitaro either cause he won't die. I'm just waiting for Keitaro to give me the signal and then I'll let you know.'_

Kaolla Su's eyes instantly widened to the point where they near filled her face. Any remaining skin was taken up with an enormous smile.

'I get to use that...'

Focusing hard, she tried her best to send a thought to Yoko. She was rewarded with Yoko's pained voice entering her head.

"_Ok, ok, ok stop now! Far out... have you ever tried telepathy before? The power you just hit me with nearly made my ears bleed."_

Su frowned. _"Several times but nothing ever happened. I still hadn't worked out why till Keitaros told me how he managed to."_

Yoko's interested voice entered her mind. "_Wow. You must have some brain to naturally pump out such an amazing amount of force. We'll have to look at that later. Anyway, what's up?"_

Su's smile returned full force when she remembered. _"That's right! I have this Giga Cannon I want to try out! I have been developing it for a while now but never had a use for it. Basically it is a super concentrated beam of incredibly unstable energy gathered from the by product of lightning. Anything it has touched has instantly exploded. I've been saving up energy from the last 25 or so thunderstorms in the area AND I WANA TRY IT OUT ON THE KING SPIRATE!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SAY YES!!!"_

Yoko cringed as the boisterous girl telepathically slapped his brain for six. _"Ok, ok yes you can try it just stop hurting me! And another thing, don't miss."_

The pain subsided and a giggle entered his head. _"Don't worry about that part. I have a 100 out of 100 strike rate. And with my instruments, I couldn't miss, even if I fired it facing away from it."_

Yoko grinned. _"You're on then. I'll talk soon."_

Looking back up, he grinned at the king spirate as wind whipped his hair around. 'Get ready for the surprise of your life spirate. It'll be the last one you experience.'

--------

Keitaro dodged multiple simultaneous attacks, his body blurring as his speed increased. He raced around, after images being left everywhere. The king spirate growled in frustration as its attacks passed harmlessly through the air.

"_Stay still you bug! You have no idea how irritating this is!"_

A disfigured foot passed through an after image of Keitaro with one finger pulling down an eyelid and his tongue sticking out. "Get over it puff ball. You won't hit me."

Growling in frustration, it lashed out at Keitaro in a sloppy swipe. Dodging upwards, Keitaro saw several hands homing in on him. The spirate slapped the limbs together, successfully trapping Keitaro inside its grip. It grinned evilly as it began to squeeze. _"What was that? I missed that last part when I caught your sorry ass."_

The smirk on its face slowly changed when it saw its arms being pushed outwards, despite the effort it put into clamping them shut. As they opened up, Keitaro appeared, all four of his limbs coated in a glowing purple aura. He straightened his arms and legs, successfully freeing himself from the four massive body parts that ensnared him. Concentrating, the light around his hands and feet intensified and the appendages they were touching began to bubble. The king spirates red eyes widened as it tried to pull away.

"Too slow."

Purple Ki waves exploded out of the backs of the arms. The king spirate shrieked as its arms were incinerated instantly. Shedding the limbs from its body, they dropped towards the ground as the Ki wave tore up each limb, all four exploding into ash as they hit the ground. Looking up at Keitaro, pure hate coursed through its veins. It tried to punch him again but the fist went through another after image, this time with Keitaro's middle finger raised high. It screamed in frustration.

"_IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER IF THAT DARKLING HAD KILLED YOU THEN IT WAS MEANT TO!!"_

Keitaro froze. That's right, how did it know about that? With his attention diverted for only a second, the spirate shot an arm out at an incredible speed, ensnaring Keitaro. The spirate chuckled as he looked down at his pray. Keitaro looked back up defiantly.

"How did you know about my darkling!?"

The creature before him gave what could be described as a multiple shoulder shrug. _"I didn't know about it for a long time till IT contacted me. During one of its escapes from your mind, it made contact with me."_

Keitaro's mind boggled. How could it have done that? It didn't even know the spirate had a higher brain function... did it? The spirate answered, almost reading the secret thoughts.

"_I don't know how it knew I was of a higher evolution than the other spirates, but it did. Anyway, it told me that it will kill you and then it wanted to merge with me for some weird reason. Not that I would have cared mind you. A body like yours is invaluable. When I noticed you arrive though, I saw it had failed. Worthless gutter scum can't even defeat itself. Pathetic." _

Keitaro didn't answer. He was too busy thinking about just how the darkling had managed to locate and communicate with the spirate. Keitaro had only ever thought it as another whisp. The possibility of it having developed a conscious had never even entered his mind. The king spirate looked down with mild interest.

"_Wondering about how it worked out about me? I was pretty lazy in places with some things I guess... like sending the spirate after your blue headed friend...that could have pointed me out."_

Keitaro instantly looked up, fury in his eyes. His voice came out dangerously low. "You did what?"

The spirate chuckled. _"Honestly what do you think were the chances? The first major spirate division attempt on a human was your little friend? Did you HONESTLY think it was just a random spirate? You know better than anyone the inner workings of spirates. They don't return to their point of origin for years. Me being released at your little cubby house should have meant nothing like that should have happened for years and years. Correct?"_

The information churned around inside his brain. "So why Shinobu? What did she do?"

The spirate looked indifferent. _"Does it really matter? Anyone would be good enough. I just wanted to draw you out. And having one of your little lovers accompanying you along would have just made it more pleasant."_

"So why didn't you send more after that?"

Keitaro felt the grip around him tighten slightly. Looking up, he could almost read the hidden thoughts in its mind. Slowly, it dawned on him.

"You were scared... weren't you?"

The beady red eyes widened. _"Scared? Of what? That tiny little girl? She was paralysed the second she saw my messenger."_

The cold comment about Shinobu made Keitaro begin to boil. "No, not her. Me. Back then you would have still been weak. After seeing what I could do, you stopped any more attacks in case I worked it out. You're such a coward."

The grip intensified again around him. Keitaro stopped himself wincing at the increasing pressure. It wasn't that he couldn't break out; it's that he was leaching valuable information from the creature.

"_Not coward you thick headed dunce. I realised how strong you were so I needed to grow in strength before I could take you on again. I really don't like wasting time and effort pussy footing around with you. If it wasn't for your remarkable ability, I would just kill you and be done with it."_

Keitaro growled angrily. "You couldn't kill me even if you tried to you scum."

His eyes widened as the air was shot out of him in a forced shout. It squeezed him tight, making sure Keitaro's arms were tight against his body. A cough escaped Keitaro's mouth as a small dribble of blood snaked out of his lips and down his chin. The king spirate pulled him in close to its face, its red eyes narrowed to slits.

"_You are almost not worth the time I am putting into you. All around us are plenty of potential spirates just waiting to be divided. The only reason you're still alive is because I want your body. You're a lucky boy."_

Keitaro winced as the grip increased. More blood trickled down his chin as his internals began to rupture. Looking up defiantly at the monster holding him, Keitaro spat a wad of blood at it. "You say that and yet you haven't managed to land a single blow till now. Lots of talk for not a lot of action."

The spirates eyes flashed angrily and Keitaro screamed in pain. The grip increased tenfold and Keitaro's bones began to give way under the pressure. His chest caved in, fragments of ribs puncturing his heart, lungs and stomach. Keitaro tried to scream again but there was no breath left in his body to expel. Instead, a geyser of fluro red blood sprayed from his mouth as the precious liquid escaped the grip. Gritting his teeth tightly, Keitaro endured the crushing force and complete absence of oxygen. He could sense Yoko frantically trying to get through to him but the pain was far too intense to even consider it. A spark kicked off in Keitaro and his aura exploded in brilliant life. Instantly the hand holding him was vaporised and Keitaro began to fall from the height, the spirates scream ringing in his ears.

"_NOW YOKO!!!"_

Within seconds, the area circling the two fighters lit up in pure white, blinding light as every single warrior in the area began charging. The spirate king took several steps backwards in shock, unknowingly bringing itself into the centre of the massive circle. Its beady eyes looked around frantically, trying to find a way out. Seeing none, it turned its gaze skywards. What it saw above made its jaw drop. An incredibly powerful red orb was being drawn into existence in front of the little flying machine. The ball was easily triple the robots 7ft height and still rapidly growing. A loud war cry from the samurai around it began to generate a new and unwanted feeling of panic and fear deep in its stomach. Looking around, it frantically searched for an escape. The ominous hum above it only served to further fuel the unwanted sensations. Taking one last look up, what it saw snapped the last thread of sanity in its mind. The red light was being condensed down, now only a third the size of the mecha. The ball was now positively screeching as the air around it superheated. Red shots of electrical discharge surrounded it, giving it a dangerous glow. Snapping its head back down, it saw Keitaro still falling.

"_**Gods' Cry School Ultimate Strike: Shin Lightning Slash!"**_

The screaming attack name forced the spirate to react. Abandoning the massive body, a tiny whisp shot towards the falling body of Keitaro. The blinding light around it rocketed in towards the duo. An ear piercing scream split the air as Su unleashed her Giga Cannon straight down into the body of the spirate. Its head caved inwards as the lightning bolt struck it, vaporising it instantly. Keitaro opened an eye as he saw the pure white light rocket in towards him from all sides. He felt a snap within his chest and his lungs gave a heave as he took a deep breath of air. Clenching, he let the burning attack envelop him, stripping skin and clothes from his body in massive chunks. Opening his mouth wide, Keitaro's scream was drowned out by the howl of the spirate king as it absorbed the incredible wave of Ki energy directed straight into its being. The light then totally encompassed the pair, their forms fading into the blinding, white hot light.

-----

"Keitaro? Hello there buddy, time to wake up. It's Yoko... We gotta get moving soon."

"Ooooooooh..."

Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Yoko kneeled over him, Tsuruko and Motoko standing back a bit. Looking behind them again, he could see the edge of a largish hole in the earth and over that, the rest of the samurai's coming towards him. Su was up on top of her mecha, dancing around shouting out a victory song. Bringing his hands to his face, he massaged his cheeks and forehead. Sitting up stiffly, he sighed.

"So? How did we fair? I remember the attack and just how much it hurt but then thankfully I blacked out."

Yoko helped Keitaro to stand up so he could see over the edge of his hole. "You sure seem to end up buried in the ground a lot. Anyway, have a look over in the middle of the clearing."

Keitaro ignored Yoko's first comment and looked over. The entire area was covered with ash with more still slowly drifting to the ground from above. Keitaro let a hopeful grin to his face.

"We won, didn't we?"

Yoko nodded, a smile slipping onto his face too. "Yup. The moment the attacks connected there was this massive explosion and instantly ash started pouring down on us. Quite a sight really."

Tsuruko piped up in the background. "Sorry to interrupt but I guarantee the media will be here soon and I do not feel like dealing with their wretched questions at the moment. I say we save the celebrations till we are home."

Crawling out of the crater, Keitaro dusted himself down. It was then he noticed just how undressed he was. He quickly pulled a shred of clothing over his modesty. "Wow, I'd hate to see what happened to my skin if this is all that's left of my clothes... does anyone have a spare pair of pants or something?"

A few of the men chuckled when they saw him. Yoko was having a little laugh too. Keitaro shot him a dirty look. Yoko just brushed it off. "Haha don't worry about it buddy. Yeah, when I saw you, you were in the middle of healing but some of the chunks you were missing were pretty horrendous. It's all good though your fixed now. I can't say I have pants for you but you can wear my shirt on upside down if you really want."

Keitaro sighed. It would look ridiculous but it was better than the threads he was currently wearing. Slipping a leg through each sleeve of the offered shirt, Keitaro held the hem up and blushed slightly as everyone, including Motoko, started laughing at him. Grumbling, Keitaro looked away.

"Can we go already? I would like to get some real pants on because this feels REALLY weird. And I can hear helicopters."

And true to his word, the dull thud, thud, thud of blades in the distance were filling the air. Tsuruko covered her mouth, trying to swallow her soft giggles.

"Come now we really shouldn't make fun of Keitaro. Yes, it is incredibly funny but... well, I say we save this moment for later."

Her eyes twinkled evilly as she looked at Keitaro. He shivered, not wanting to know when the tall lady would pull out the topic. Probably at the most inappropriate time possible too. Turning, Keitaro looked at Yoko.

"How did you get here anyway? Like, from the Inn?"

Yoko went quiet for a moment. He eventually whispered out his answer. "Motoko threw me all the way here."

As the samurai behind them began to take off, Keitaro could swear he heard a few hearty laughs coming from quite a few of them, though Su was definately in stitches. Her loud laughs filled the clearing as she took off. He laughed a bit himself.

"Well, it's ok, I'll spare you the embarrassment this time. Let's go home."

Focusing slightly, Yoko rose from the ground with a startled yelp. Keitaro laughed. "Oh please Yoko, it's not that bad! You get to know what it feels like to fly!"

Yoko looked at him unhappily. "But this is just weird! I didn't know you could levitate people as well!"

Keitaro gave him a puzzled look. "It's possible to move anything, why shouldn't I be able to move another person? I just don't do it too much because it takes away their freedom for the duration I am holding them."

Yoko looked over and saw the TV crews drawing rapidly closer. "That's cool, but for now let's go. I don't want those people in my face."

"Definitely not. Off we go then, the others are getting away."

Keitaro took a short run up and kicked off the ground, quickly gaining on the group flying away from them. Yoko shot off with another shout, drawing alongside Keitaro.

------

After a short while, the conversing group saw the Hinata Inn sitting proud on the top of its hill. Smiling broadly, Keitaro sighed. Finally, everything was over. Rolling onto his back, he prepared to slow his decent.

"_Sorry, but it's not over yet. In fact, it's only just begun. Your body is MINE!"_

An incredible tearing feeling ripped through Keitaro's brain. Screaming out in total pain, Yoko felt his stable flight instantly collapse as Keitaro lost grip on him.

"KEITARO!!!"

Tsuruko looked over and instantly moved across, catching Yoko. Motoko tried to catch Keitaro but missed as he began to drop rapidly. Everyone looked on in horror as he fell towards the stairs leading up the side of the hill. And not once did he stop shrieking in agony. Slamming into the stairs, the old stone simply dissolved under the impact. Keitaro still clutched at his head, unable to even think about the other injuries he had just sustained. Seconds later, everyone landed and rushed over to Keitaro. Not even the ground shaking as Kaolla landed halted the pained cries.

He could not open his eyes to acknowledge them. He could not move. He could not think. All he could focus on was the torment in his mind.

Keitaro gripped his skull as a massive pain cleaved his brain in two. Cells everywhere began to be ripped apart totally against their will. They screamed blue murder as the infection spread. Keitaro raised his head high and howled in mind blowing agony. He heard his voice begin to contort and break, one separating into a higher falsetto and the other dropping to a medium baritone. Yoko began to scream, fear covering his face and draining every last shred of colour from his skin. Motoko rushed to his side, trying to work out what it was exactly that was happening. Tsuruko covered her open mouth, realising what was happening.

"No, no, no, no, no, no not again, please not again!"

Ripping at his hair, Keitaro remembered one last thought before everything in sight was blanketed in the brilliant sheet of pure white pain.

'HOW?? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?'

-----

A/N – Ooooooooh damn!!!! What happened?!? It's not right!!

I hope the longer chapter makes up for my slow update. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please let me know what you think. It's the only way I get better. Keep your eyes open for the next one coming your way soon enough.

Lanky Nathan signing out!


	23. Chapter 23

Hello again!!!

Loki Fenrisulf IV actually made a pretty good point that I think I should take up on. I duno how I missed it all this time though =P THANKS DUDE!!! Oh, and he also gave me the idea for this chapter on how to keep it going. So this one goes out to you! I hate mind block -_- spawn of Satan.

I own the spirates!! And Yoko. And Jill. And anyone else from the future time =D

**Chapter 23**

Shinobu stared out the kitchen window, pots and pans forgotten as she gazed at the clearing sky. A little smile touched her lips as the sunlight glided across her smooth face. Stretching to her tipy toes, she leaned forward to look over in the direction of the war. The dark, spooky clouds that had once covered the horizon had now thinned to nothing more than small gray puffs. An unnoticed giggle left her throat as the fear and worry within her disappeared. Drying her hands, she turned and ran back into the lounge room.

"Naru, Naru! Have you seen out the window??"

Kitsune's head lolled back over the couch. "Sorry hun, Naru is upstairs doing something. Just lil old me here."

Shinobu didn't miss a beat. "Well have you seen? The sky's cleared and everything's going back to normal!! That must have meant they've won yes?"

The lazy lady on the couch looked back down at the TV. "Well, through the wonder window called television, I have seen the clearing skies and now I'll get to see what just happened in that party, as soon as the film crews get there."

Sighing, the young blunette turned and ran up the stairs. Moving quickly through the halls, she listened for any human life but found none. Coming to the stairs to the roof, she heard the voices of two women. Running up as quickly as possible, she popped out of the opening and looked around. Leaning on the railing was Naru and Mutsumi gazing up at the clearing sky, glee clear on their faces. Dashing up beside the two, they looked down and smiled at their newest company.

"Isn't it wonderful? Keitaro-senpai and Motoko-senpai must have won!"

Naru twitched as she heard the two warriors names in the same sentence but subdued it. "It is good hey! And isn't the sky just so magnificent..."

Mutsumi nodded ecstatically. "It has been so long since I last saw the sky so clear and blue... it really just makes me feel like everything will be just right..."

Her legs then gave way as the beauty of it all overcame the frail girl. Naru and Shinobu jumped at her, just catching the older lady before she hit the ground. Laying her down, the two of them sighed before catching the others eyes. Shinobu grinned and looked back up at the brilliant blue.

"Maybe finally everything will be ok... Ever since Keitaro-senpai and Yoko-san came back, things have been so hectic and dangerous. I really hope this means peace."

Naru lay down on her back, eyes closed enjoying the soft sunlight. "It really is great isn't it! I just can't wait for them to return and hear the stories."

Shinobu glanced at Naru and smiled yet again. Her eyes followed some birds in the distance, their soft cries just reaching her ears over the gentle breeze. The birds dipped and swooped around each other happily, totally oblivious to the massive fight that had occurred barely an hour earlier. Turning her gaze towards the ex battle zone, her eyes lit up as she saw the dots of humans jumping across the tops of the trees. Gasping, her fair flicked around her face as she looked down at the dozing Naru.

"Senpai! Their back! Look!"

Instantly alert, Naru and the now recovered Mutsumi gripped the railing as the three of them watched their hero's draw ever closer. Mutsumi gasped as she saw Keitaro in nothing but a shirt for pants.

"My... doesn't that just leave things open for the imagination!"

Naru quickly slapped her hands over Shinobu's burning ears. "MUTSUMI! Did you really have to say that?!"

The older lady giggled as she pointed towards the group. "But it's true! And Shinobu here may as well be involved with this too, she's not a little girl any more remember?"

True to the words, Shinobu gently pulled the hands from her ears. Though still slightly red across her nose, she held her feet. "T-that's true. I do know about the... birds and the bees so it's ok. B-besides, after living with Kitsune, there's not a lot left unexplained."

All three girls observed a moment of embarrassed silence, the tirades of their dirty blond friend flicking through their minds. A second later though, a piercing cry ended all thoughts as they jumped in fright. Looking across to the group, their wide eyes looked on in fear.

"W...what was that?"

Mutsumi shaded her eyes. Gasping, she pointed. "Look! That's Keitaro and he's falling!"

Whipping out her glasses, Naru stared out over at the group and at the rapidly plummeting Keitaro. Another cry reached their ears as Keitaro twisted painfully through the air, hands clasped to his head.

"NO!"

Shinobu and Mutsumi's voices had both left them so Naru's scream covered them all as they saw Keitaro slam deep into the stairs that lead up the side of the mountain. Turning, they all sprinted back to the stairs and rushed to the front as quickly as they possibly could.

--------

Colour and sound began to fade as the shock took hold. All the samurai around him became a part of the background as the total focus on Keitaro grew ever more intense. Try as he might, he could not make his body move. All his muscles had frozen solid, not wanting to listen to any command his brain tried to give. So all he could do was continue to watch his best friend writhe in agony among the rubble of his landing.

'It's not fair... we had won... how could this happen?'

Focusing intently, Yoko tried to contact the bellowing man. He pushed around the edges of his consciousness until he found a small 'give' in the barrier of pain. Pushing in, Yoko's eyes widened before he shrieked and toppled backwards, clutching his skull.

"Yoko?!"

Tsuruko quickly attended to the young man. Waiting for him to stop pressing his eyes, she looked worriedly over at Keitaro then back at Yoko.

"What happened? What did he say?"

Yoko kept pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes as the headache slowly ebbed. "Nothing. H-he couldn't! All that is in his mind is a blistering amount of pain! I just managed to just touch his mind and the pain that hit me was intolerable!"

A tear trickled out of one eye as the other opened. "No wonder all he's doing is screaming!"

A second tear followed, this one not because of the pain. "Tsuruko, I don't wana see him divide! Please, tell me he's not dividing!"

Tsuruko bit her lip as she looked over at her sister and the warrior in her arms. "Keitaro has already inhaled a spirate before and survived... I do not know why it isn't the same this time around..."

The door behind them exploded as four women charged out, desperate to find their manager. Seeing him writhing on the ground in agony, Naru dashed forward desperately. A strong arm caught her as she passed.

"LET ME GO, HE NEEDS ME!!"

Lashing out, her mighty punch was caught and deflected harmlessly away. A gruff voice near her ear did little to ease her struggles. "Stop this miss. You being there would do nothing but get in the way of Motoko. Let her try heal him!"

Twisting in his grip, she screamed in his face, "I will not let her have him!!"

Looking over at Tsuruko, the woman nodded. Quickly reaching up to her neck, the strong samurai rapidly pressed several soft spots before twisting one of her vertebrae gently. Instantly the stricken girl relaxed as she dropped off to sleep. Lifting her up, he laid her with Mutsumi and Shinobu.

"Don't worry, she's just asleep. She will awaken feeling quite energetic in about 8 hours."

Nodding hesitantly, Shinobu took her friends head in her lap and began stroking her hair, more to release some of the worry rapidly building up in her chest. Mutsumi sat behind the younger girl and wrapped her arms around her waist. Kitsune stood back, silently watching everything, mouth slightly open. They all said nothing as they watched Motoko continue to try save their friend and manager.

Motoko held the screaming man in her arms. Tears trickled down her face and splashed onto Keitaro's face. Nothing she had tried had stopped or even slowed his condition and she was rapidly running out of ideas. It also wasn't the double voice that scared her so much. It was that the tears that landed on his skin actually started sinking through, like it would a sponge. "No, no, no, Keitaro please no! We just won! This cannot be happening please may I wake from this nightmare!"

Her voice did little to comfort as Keitaro's voice split again, now four voices crying from his fading mouth. He also began sinking through the girls hands as his body lightened; his cells being ripped apart and thinned. Motoko began to grasp at Keitaro as he lost more and more substance. Her tears continued freely as she began sobbing. Looking across at her sister, the green hair simply covered her eyes. Though wishing for it, she knew her older sister had no ideas. Keitaro now rested on the ground, his body fading each second. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Motoko watched on in defeat. Shutting her eyes, she prayed that it would just end for her friend.

Suddenly though, Keitaro's tortured screams silenced. The quiet instantly had everyone on edge, wondering what was happening. Dozens of eyes rested on the young man, his translucent face twisted up in pain. A small twitch caught Motoko's eyes and she leaned in. In a burst of movement that totally caught her off guard, Keitaro's body gave a heave, like it took a massive breath. In that movement, all substance it had lost was instantly regained and his voice became one again. Motoko's eyes doubled at that and she skited back, not believing what she had just witnessed. The now reformed man took a huge gasp of air and began screaming again, fingers dragging down the sides of his face. Tsuruko instantly stood up, standing tall. She raised her voice to be heard over the wailing.

"Quickly get him inside! Into his room where he can be treated as best as we can. Our here will do nothing for him."

One of the younger warriors nodded and quickly picked up Keitaro. He winced at the volume of noise right next to his ear but endured it. Kitsune stepped forward and motioned hurriedly.

"This way quickly! Before he melts again."

The young samurai turned and followed as swiftly as possible, being careful not to jolt the crying man in his arms. Shinobu tagged along, fear evident in her eyes as she stared at the tormented form of her crush. As they left, Tsuruko called the rest of her clan together.

"From here, I think it would be best if you all return home. As concerned as you may be, having so many warriors here will only complicate and slow things. I shall stay with Motoko to help stabilise him when possible but as for the rest of you, I request you leave soon."

There were murmurs of displeasure at the direction but all knew that if they stayed they'd just get in the road. The younger ones shoulders sagged as they wandered inside to retrieve their belongings. They were quickly rebuked by the senior members and sent to clean up the inn. Mutsumi watched as they went. Her normally happy face was downcast and her eyes shimmered slightly as unfallen tears beckoned to break free. Her brown eyes looked up sadly from her seat with Naru.

"Truthfully... do you know if Kei-kun will be ok?"

Tsuruko didn't move her gaze from the inn's doors. "I do not know. When I found him after he left for that village on the news those weeks ago, he inhaled a spirate. He told me to destroy the wisps that he would turn into. As I readied myself though, something unusual happened. He bloated incredibly, almost to the point of bursting. But then he recovered and the spirate was dispelled through his pours as a mist. I do not understand how but his immunity to disease also included the spirate. This time though, he nearly was divided. I'd say his body is currently struggling immensely to hold its being together. How we are to help that I do not know. All we can hope and pray for is that his immortality will win out over this infection."

Looking around, Tsuruko suddenly realised something. "Where is Yoko?"

Mutsumi glanced at the shadows that covered the far corner of the inn. "I saw him wander away that way. He seemed deeply devastated. I was going to follow but I was side tracked by Kei's recovery... or whatever just happened. Should I follow him?"

Tsuruko shook her head slowly. "No, leave him be. He may be upset but he's not stupid. He will come back when he's ready."

Ever caring, Mutsumi sighed. "I hope he's ok..."

Another agonizing scream behind them made the girls cringe. A tear fell from Mutsumi's eye as her heart went out to the 'young' man. She moved quietly as Tsuruko took up Naru in her arms and followed the older woman into the inn.

-------

Kitsune and Motoko watched on worriedly as Keitaro was laid gently on his futon. For the moment, he was quiet, his face screwed up in pain. They both held their breath as Keitaro paled again. He gently slipped into two separate beings and let loose another mighty howl. Kitsune ran from the room, unable to listen to the once again doubled voice. Ploughing past, she barely registered that Shinobu was standing there, eyes wide. The young girl watched the fox disappear down the hall and into her unseen room, door slamming shut. Shinobu almost followed, the thought of a mind numbing drink very prominent at the moment. Swallowing though, she turned and looked into the managers room. She saw Motoko look up.

"M-Motoko-senpai, would it be ok if I came in?"

She walked through the open door as the samurai lady nodded. An idea entered her mind though and she turned and ran for the bathroom. Moments later, she returned with a wet flannel in her hands. Though she had only been gone a few seconds, Kaolla had managed to enter the room and was now sitting silently beside her adopted sister. The most noticeable thing about her was that the brown eyes of the foreigner were still. Normally they twinkled with possibly ideas racing around her mind but it seemed that any thought had been sucked from her. She looked up at Shinobu. For the moment, she wasn't a bundle of energy and ideas. She was a scared young girl with no idea of what was going on. Shinobu's wide blue eyes looked down at the writhing form of her crush. Kneeling beside him, she gently laid it on his forehead. Keitaro moaned helplessly, his voice separating again. Hands flew to her mouth as the wet cloth began to sink through his skin and into his head.

"No, no, no, n-n-no!!"

Clasping onto Motoko's shoulder, the girl began to quietly cry. She wanted to move the flannel so badly but just couldn't bring herself to try pull it free of Keitaro's face. A familiar twitch though alerted Motoko to what was going to happen. Quickly tugging the flannel free, Keitaro's body gave another heave as it recovered its lost substance. There was a brief quiet pause before the lad lying on the ground opened his mouth again and screamed.

-----

Mutsumi sat staring at the television. Its blank screen stared back at her with as much enthusiasm. She had lost track of the time; the only thing counting were the quiet seconds it took for the multiple voices of Keitaro to become one again. Samurai moved all around her as they cleaned the place. None of them talked as they worked. Every scream seemed to make them cringe and work that little bit faster. After some time, possibly minutes, possibly hours, they all stood near the exit with their small bags in hand. A hand on her shoulder made the dark haired girl look up. Tsuruko was standing there smiling sadly.

"My friends wish to say goodbye before they leave. They did not want to disturb the three with Keitaro and Mitsune-san is now as fast asleep as Naru."

Ever the gracious girl, she quickly shook her head to wake up and walked outside. There all the samurai stood, concerned looks on their faces. The oldest of them walked forward and extended his hand. Mutsumi took it up and looked into his old eyes.

"We wish the best of luck for everyone here and we will most definitely be praying for Keitaro's recovery. As much as we would like to see how he turns out, Tsuruko is correct. We are just filling space needed and we would best to return home to recover."

Mutsumi smiled in return. "I will be sure to pass your regards on to Kei-kun as soon as he is better. I know he will pull through. He always has in the past. I will call you as soon as anything happens. I also want to thank you for your efforts when you were fighting the spirates. Without you all who knows what could have happened."

She turned her grateful smile to the group. The younger boys and even some of the older men blushed slightly under the beautiful lady's warm gaze. Stepping back, Mutsumi bowed.

"Thank you all again. So much."

The group before her returned the bow. "It was our pleasure as much as our duty. We shall be off now. We have quite a way to go."

Turning, the group began to move down the stairs. A couple of awe filled comments reached Mutsumi's ears as the samurai avoided the hole. Soft clangs and talking began as the group disappeared around the trees shrouding the paths. Mutsumi lowered her arm after one final wave to the group. Looking up to the taller woman beside her, she looked at the expressionless face of her friend.

"What are you thinking about?"

Brought from her trance, Tsuruko blinked a few times before looking down. She smiled gently. "It's been a long time since I have seen action like what has just happened and it brings back memories both good and bad. I always enjoy seeing our warriors in action protecting everyone as our arts are taught."

Looking back down at the empty staircase, Mutsumi nodded slowly. "I'm sure it must be a sight to behold. I really hope I can see you all in action sometime under less dire situations."

Tsuruko let out a soft laugh. "Yes, much less dire. Oh well, I guess we best go back inside. Shall we have a cup of tea to calm our nerves?"

Mutsumi's eyes widened at the thought. "Oh I haven't had one in a long while! Yes please that would be great. I'll boil some water now."

Trotting inside, Mutsumi gladly embraced this chance to take her mind off things. Tsuruko walked in calmly, sliding into one of the many chairs around the dining table. Mutsumi rummaged through the cupboards, finding saucers and cups. Turning, the brunette held up two cups.

"Which one would you like..."

The cups dropped to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. The noise was unheard though as the only thing the two girls registered was the blood curdling scream that ripped through the hallways of the house. In an instant Tsuruko had vanished from the room, Mutsumi hot on her heels.

'No Kei, no Kei, no Kei!'

Climbing the stairs as quickly as her frail body could manage, her eyes looked up as Tsuruko vanished into Keitaro's room. A dark streak followed, Yoko rounding the corner at pace. The familiar light-headedness that cursed her began to rear its head.

'Not now! Please!'

Fighting it off, Mutsumi pushed onward. She gripped the banister tightly, hauling herself upwards. Finally reaching the floor, she stumbled down the hallway and fell onto the door frame of Keitaro's room. Breathing deeply, she looked over at him and instantly slapped her hand to her mouth in disbelief.

A giant lump of quivering, bleeding flesh was slowly rolling across the floor, its bloody trail oozing from a sizeable hole in Keitaro's side. Keitaro had passed out and now the only noise was the sloppy sucks of the movements of the flesh. Everyone in the room was frozen in place, both in horror and disgust as a squirt of blood shot from the side of it. It crawled a few more inches and then stopped. It shivered and then a soft, eerie cry started to come from it.

"Wha... a spirate?"

Motoko looked up at Yoko. "How could that be a spirate? Nothing we have been told about them explains that!"

Yoko nodded cautiously. "Yes... but you hear that don't you? That's a dying spirates cry."

Looking back down at the twitching lump, the whine continued. But as it went on, the chunk seemed to deflate in size. Eventually the cry subsided and in a wet suck, the skin chunk rolled slightly to its side, now half its original size. Tsuruko leaned in with her sword and poked it tenderly. It quivered slightly but then stilled. Turning, everyone looked back at Keitaro. The unconscious lad still had a pained expression on his face but thankfully for the moment he felt nothing. His wound had all but healed, the last few tendrils of skin knitting together.

Finally, everything was still. No one moved for the moment, the uncomfortable silence overpowering them. Finally, Shinobu managed to break the trance. Gingerly, she walked over to the remains of the lump and toed it gently. It rolled slightly and she jumped back with a squeak of fright. Realising it wasn't moving, she looked down at her shoe. The tip of it was stained a deep red. Her eyes began to slip shut and her head rolled forward as she lost consciousness. Yoko quickly leaned across and caught her. Picking the young girl up, he looked around the room. Everyone looked at him, puzzled.

He blushed. "Well... I was going to take her to her room but I'm not sure if you would allow it or not..."

Tsuruko moved as her sister began to stand. "Don't worry, I will take her. You stay with Keitaro."

Nodding, the younger samurai settled herself again. As Tsuruko began to leave, Motoko's and Kaolla's eyes grew.

"Sister!!"

Hearing the alarm, Tsuruko quickly looked around. A shaking finger was pointing at the side of Keitaro's face. A thin point, like an invisible knife, was sliding down half his face. A trickle of blood flowed from it as the point continued downwards, over his eye, down his cheekbone and under his chin.

"T-this is how he lost his first piece..."

Tsuruko's eyes widened as she realised something. Quickly placing Shinobu outside the door, she started pushing everyone out the door.

"GET OUT NOW! DO IT! YOU"LL BE DAMAGED!!"

"What??"

Ignoring the protests, Tsuruko continued to pull everyone out. Finally forcing everyone out of the room, Tsuruko gripped the door and slammed it shut. But not before seeing what happened inside the room.

Her eyes widened and she instantly dropped to her knees, promptly vomiting all over the floor.

"SISTER!"

"TSURUKO!"

Mutsumi and Motoko were instantly at her side, Kaolla and Yoko watching on worriedly. Motoko looked up frantically.

"Don't just stand there!! Get something to clean her up with!"

The two nodded, turning and running towards the bathroom. Watching them go, the two girls helped the older lady sit up against the wall. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was ragged. Mutsumi looked across at Motoko in confusion and fear.

"What happ..."

She was cut off as Kaolla and Yoko dashed back with armfuls of towels. Motoko shook her head in resignation and took a smaller one. Helping her sister wipe away the mess from her mouth, she looked at Yoko.

"Can you clean the mess? It's not helping anyone at the moment."

The boy turned a soft green looking at it but nodded anyway. To his relief, Su started helping too.

Looking up at the older, still shaking lady, he wondered just what happened in there. As if reading his mind, Mutsumi asked the question for him. Swallowing, the green haired beauty took a moment. Making herself breathe normally, she opened her eyes and looked tiredly at the small group.

"You remember, Motoko, how you said that was how the first lump separated?"

Motoko nodded slowly. Tsuruko waited for a moment but nothing happened.

"Well, if his side fell off like that, what do you think happened to the side of his face."

All their eyes widened as it sunk in. Yoko looked across at the door in horror. Keitaro's body cast a shadow against the thin material and through it, Yoko could see a quivering lump slowly dragging its way away from the half moon orb that was meant to be Keitaro's head. He felt the bile rise in his throat as a red squirt hit the door. Swallowing it as best he could, he quickly ran for the stairs with a gagged 'sorry' thrown over his shoulder.

Kaolla watched him go. She couldn't blame him because she felt like doing the exact same. Steeling herself though, she continued to clean up the muck. She felt so useless and helpless at the moment that she would do anything to be of use.

'Anything for Keitaro. Anything at all.'

Motoko rubbed her sisters back as she looked at Mutsumi. "I shall take Shinobu to her room. Please watch sister till I return."

Mutsumi just nodded sadly and watched the raven haired girl scoop up her young friend and carry her away. Looking back down at little Su, Mutsumi's heart went out to the girl. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and yet she made no sound, other than the soft rubbing of the floor. Gone was the spark in her eyes, leaving her looking so much older than Mutsumi remembered ever seeing her. Motioning to her, she pulled the girl into a warm hug as she continued to rub Tsuruko's back. Kissing the top of her head, she felt her shirt grow wet as Kaolla buried her head into her chest.

"There, there Su. No need to cry. This is Kei-kun here! If anyone can pull through this it's him yeah? If I remember correctly, it was even you who first said he was immortal yes?"

The dark skinned girl nodded into her shirt. "Keitaros has always been immortal. I wanted to find out so bad how but now, I just want him to be ok. But I can't think of anything to make him better!"

Mutsumi began to rub her back as well. "Well, I'd say that if you could think of a way, only you would be able to make it work."

Su nodded again but was quiet. Mutsumi looked up at Tsuruko and saw the older girl watching them. A small smile tugged at her lips despite the overall mood. Sighing, she pulled herself to her feet. She looked down at the concerned woman.

"Don't worry about me. I have seen what's inside the room and I must clean it or else you all will be damaged too."

Mutsumi's eyes widened. "But what about you? Even if you have seen it that's still really graphic! Are you sure you'll be ok?"

Tsuruko nodded. "Yes. I have seen many creatures decapitated beyond recognition. The reason I reacted as I did though was because I have never seen a human like that. But assuming Keitaro has healed like every other time, it should be more tolerable now."

Mutsumi dropped her head unhappily. "I still wish you didn't have to see it."

Tsuruko smiled sadly. Grabbing a few of the clean towels, she reached for the door. "So do I."

------

A/N – Well that's another chapter done =) well overdue, but done. That was a weird chapter to write hey. Bits came to me in blasts but in the end I think it worked out ok =)

I know I didn't write the clean up bit and I wasn't really planning to but if you want me to, I can still write it down. Let me know! Involve yourselves in the story! Become one with the story! Well, maybe not one but at least let yourselves become absorbed by it =P

Anyway, until next time!!

Lanky Nathan


	24. Chapter 24

Hey hey it's time for another round of Future Sight! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to write =( I don't really have an excuse other than I lost motivation for a few months cause I had some seriously messed up things happen in my life. So if you're still reading this story, I thank you so much for following it for so long.

But first,

To Mr. Anno. I don't quite follow you. Where did I say it was hard for anyone to believe Keitaro had seen wisps pass through walls? Keitaro worded his sentence so that he accidentally leaked that he was way older than just 20. So Keitaro couldn't believe that they could pass through walls _three million year ago_ when they first appeared. I'm not sure where you're coming from with this though so let me know if I got it wrong.

As for the 32 by 4 division thing, yeah that was my bad =P Is fixed now =)

P.S. The science is honky because this is all just speculation. I'm not a doctor of anything but I do try and read up where I can so it does have some scientific basis. I wrote a little on the background of the senses because people might be curious. I know I would have been so that's why I put it in. (And that I have read other stories that have had even more finite detail on everything than this story so I didn't think it was too bad)

Enough with that though. Time to read!! XD

**Chapter 24**

Tsuruko sat at the dining table facing the wall. Shinobu and Mutsumi were scurrying around, making her snacks and continuously asking if she was ok. Although she always robotically nodded in reply, truthfully her mind was a mess. What she saw in that room played over and over in her thoughts. As accomplished a samurai she was, her speciality was in the destruction of demons, not humans. Despite having had to kill humans before, that was always taken care of swiftly and cleanly. She had never actually seen a decapitated human.

When she had entered, Keitaro had already healed significantly. The mound of bloody bone, brain and flesh several feet from him though instantly brought burning bile to the back of her throat. She had to steel herself considerably before she could even contemplate touching it, even if it was wrapped in towels. Escaping through the window, the samurai had buried it deep within the forest behind the inn. When she finally returned, the shell shocked woman had numbly walked in and sat down at the table without a sound. It was there the chef and turtle lady found her, eyes vacant. Keitaro's screaming had resumed, the harrowing sound ringing sharply through the corridors and into the ears of all who heard.

In the kitchen, Mutsumi and Shinobu were both at the sink, stuck listening to the noise. They stared blankly out the window, neither moving. Eventually Shinobu's little voice broke the trance.

"Will he ever get better?"

Mutsumi didn't turn as she replied, "I honestly have no idea. I don't know what to think anymore."

Silence then consumed them, Keitaro's voice temporarily resting. Shinobu looked down at her little hands. She then said something so softly that Mutsumi wasn't sure she heard right.

"Come again sweety?"

The young girl looked up at her older counterpart, tears beginning to creep out onto her lower eyelid.

"I hope he dies."

Mutsumi did a double take as the words sunk in. Did the most gentle, loving and caring girl of the dorms really just say that? Shinobu saw Mutsumi's shock and quickly followed up.

"Not in that way of course! Well, maybe, but not with any bad intentions! Because... well it's because... he's suffering so much. I know without a doubt that I could never endure what he is. I know full well that I would want to die and end the pain so I imagine that Senpai feels the same way. But he can't die and here he is wrestling such agony that any normal human should well and truly have passed away but here he is... suffering incomprehensible torture and not even being able to escape it!"

The now crying girl pulled her head into Mutsumi's top and tried to plug her ears with fabric as the tortured noises once again began to weave their way through the house.

"I just wish it would end!!! I've had enough! I can't take hearing him scream like that! If I could I would use my kitchen knife to end his misery! I wish I could heal him! I wish I could end his pain..."

The young girl promptly sunk to her knees, hands clasped over her ears, crying bitterly.

Mutsumi stayed standing for a moment. Hearing the normally incredibly passive girl talking about ending Keitaro's life had really shocked her. But then again in a different part of her mind, she was in total agreement. If it could help her beloved, she would have ended his life too. An unnoticed tear left her eye and dropped into nothingness as she crouched down and hugged the distraught girl.

"There, there it's ok. I understand how you feel. I really wish we could do something too... for now though all we can do is be strong for him. I can guarantee he would be strong for us."

Footsteps past them made the girls look up. Motoko had walked in. Though holding a strong face, the two on the ground could tell she was having a hard time not breaking down with them. Filling a cup of water, she turned and left, the clipped comment, 'For my sister' left hanging in the air. Remembering the older lady, the girls quickly stood up, taking a moment to clean themselves up a bit before following Motoko into the dining room. They blushed as they entered, ashamed they had forgotten the extremely traumatised swordswoman.

Tsuruko sat sipping the cup gently, not really registering that she was drinking it. Motoko stood beside her, waiting numbly for any direction from her sister. Nothing came though, so she continued staring into nothingness. Mutsumi brought around a chair and eased the taller girl into it, taking a seat beside the already sitting Shinobu. Nothing was said and they all just suffered together, the now oppressive silence bearing down on them nearly as heavily as the pained screams. After a few minutes it was Shinobu's little voice was what broke the silence.

"I can't do this."

The three women seated at the table looked down at her. Tsuruko reached out and took her hand and spoke for the first time since she had returned.

"It is very difficult for all of us. Just be strong for Keitaro. I do understand your emotions though."

Shinobu shook her head, hair covering her eyes. "No, I don't think I can. I've been telling myself to be strong for so long now but ever since Keitaro came back from where ever... or whenever it was, these horrid things that have been happening to him have really been hurting me. These last few days have been absolute hell and now this? I'm sorry but I just can't do it. I've been giving it some thought for a while now but this is it. I'm moving out."

The already oppressive silence turned positively claustrophobic as Shinobu finished talking. Tsuruko was looking steadily at her, her stern gaze filled with pity and understanding. Mutsumi was looking sadly at the table, eyes devoid of any hope. And Motoko was looking at Shinobu wide eyed, mouth slightly apart, not totally absorbing everything that had just been said.

"You're... not serious are you?"

The little blue mop of hair said nothing.

"Even after all this and everything this dysfunctional family has been through? You're just going to leave?"

Motoko bore down on the shrinking girl, not actually realising she was now standing well over Shinobu. A firm hand on her arm brought her back to her senses.

"If this is what Shinobu has decided then that is what she will do. I'll tell you too, I'm feeling like I may leave this area too."

Motoko's eyes rested on Mutsumi's downcast face. "Not you too..."

Tsuruko's voice then picked up, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Keitaro really is the key that holds everything in place, isn't he. I hope everything comes to a head soon, whether that be death or life, so things can be finalised."

The girls then grew silent. After a few awkward minutes, Shinobu pushed her chair out and slowly stood up. As she left, her last sentence left a heavy feeling in everyone's heart.

"I'm going up to pack. I'll see you at the front door shortly."

---------------

Shinobu stood looking at her half empty room. It was still eerily quiet, no noise permeating the walls. Her bladder gave a familiar tingle as she stood up straight. Sighing, the young girl turned and left the room. Walking down the hall, she noticed the door to where Keitaro was resting was opened, blood trails dotting the entrance and away down the corridor too. Curiosity took her as she looked into the room. A massive pool of blood and flesh was left where Keitaro once lay. She felt her head swim and her lunch begin to rise in her throat but quickly swallowed it down. Worry now foremost in the girls mind, she began following the red trail.

"Keitaro...?"

It tracked down towards the corner, leading towards the stairs. A hand gripped the neck of her shirt and another rested on the wall for support, fear staring to seep into her emotions. Looking around the corner, a shadow fell across her face. Instantly her pupils shrunk to pinpricks and she unleashed a bone chilling shriek.

---------------

Motoko and Tsuruko sat at the table, still silently staring into nothingness. Mutsumi had returned to the kitchen to fix them more snacks and try keep her mind off Shinobu's announcement. As much as she tried, she failed miserably at preparing anything such was the state of her mind. Finally giving up, she resorted to cheese and crackers. Carrying out the small tray, she placed it in front of the two comatose women. It took several minutes for them to come around enough to fix themselves the small snack and another several to eat one. Mutsumi ate the majority of biscuits, numbly mulling through the twirling thoughts that filled her mind. For a while they sat and nibbled in silence, none looking anywhere in particular. Eventually, it was Mutsumi that twigged to something. Cocking one ear, she listened.

"Excuse me... sorry to intrude your thoughts but I just realised something."

The two tall sisters looked across at the fragile woman. "I haven't really been listening but hasn't it been awfully quiet for a while?"

The sisters' ears twitched slightly as they realised this too. Tsuruko nodded slowly. "True, it has been a while. I really must snap out of this. For me to not notice such a thing means I am really lapsed in concentration. You too Motoko."

The younger of the two nodded solemnly. "True. We should go and check on him."

Not a second sooner than that said, their skin prickled heavily as a shiver shot through their nerves as a horrific scream filled their ears.

"Not again!"

Nearly at their feet, a terrified Shinobu barrelled in, knocking the table and its three occupants flying. She disappeared into the kitchen in a blur of blue and tears at a speed even Tsuruko found astounding. Looking to where the young girl had run from, Tsuruko and Motoko instantly prickled at the warped energy that flowed across them.

"My, it just got cold in here! I'm going to see Shinobu, see if she's ok."

Throwing a quick look over her shoulder, Motoko nodded. Even the untrained lady felt the twisted energy contort the temperature. "Yes, go and take her away somewhere safe."

Nodding unsurely, Mutsumi stood up and ran to Shinobu, but not before casting one last worried look over her shoulder at the now battle ready warriors. Entering the kitchen, she gasped when she saw the young girl curled up in the pantry, cradling her head in her arms and whispering something rapidly over and over. Rushing over, she wrapped her arms around her and tried pulling her back but to no avail. Leaning in to the sobbing girls ears, she heard the mantra Shinobu whispered.

"Not again, not again, not again, PLEASE not again! I can't take this anymore. PLEASE not again!"

Now thoroughly worried for her friends' sanity, she pulled her into a deep hug and tried to ease her out of her cocoon. Slowly Shinobu came out, her delicate arms wrapping around Mutsumi's waist, crying freely into her top. Mutsumi tried her absolute best to ignore the gasps and bangs coming from the room behind her. Gently stroking the blue locks attached to her waist, she began to sing softly, trying to sooth the young girl as well as block out some of the noise behind them. A crash and a curse behind her made her fold over the small girl in her lap, clenching her eyes shut, singing louder. Shinobu's whimpering continued as the bangs and murmurs grew closer to them.

"MUTSUMI! I thought I told you to get out of here!"

Turning to look through the doorway, the brunette gasped in horror, singing instantly forgotten. Picking Shinobu up in a burst of strength she had never known, she turned and ran out the opposing door. As she hurried away, she saw Su, Yoko and even Kitsune, the shock sobering her up, all standing at the doorway staring in in shock and disgust after hearing the commotion. She couldn't blame them either. Running out the front doors, the girl disappeared down the stairs and away towards her apartment.

------------

Inside, Yoko could not take his eyes off the thing before him. Try as he might, he just couldn't find it in him to run and leave Keitaro like that. And from how the other four girls held their ground, they felt the same.

Because before them stood a disgusting and gut-wrenching sight. Keitaro stood in the middle of the room, almost totally naked and leaking blood from every orifice his body possessed. He was moaning terribly, his voice catching and gurgling on the near litres of blood and spit oozing from his mouth. Chunks of whining, bloody flesh rested at his feet with more accompanying it every second. His body was dripping blood, lines of red tracing all over him and carving off enormous clumps of his body, all of it falling to the ground in wet splats. Internal organs were sawn in two, bones cleaved and muscles exposed to the cold air as his body repeatedly and rapidly lost and regrew massive portions of body parts. He wavered on his disfigured feet, his toes and fingers dropping all skin and muscles leaving nothing but bone; only to regrow in a matter of seconds. It was so disturbing that even the great Tsuruko felt like turning and running from the house.

The one thing that held them all there though were his crying eyes. His deep, caring, loving, warm and inviting brown eyes now desperately begging them for help. Tears flowed from them; of humiliation; of pain; of suffering. Everyone in the room could feel his need for friends to be with him and yet, they couldn't quite bring themselves to go up to him, such was their horror at what he was enduring. A slice came down across his face and half his eye. It widened in shock and pain before half his face fell from his body. His one eye left scrunched up in inexplicable pain and Keitaro grit his teeth together so tightly everyone swore they could hear them snapping. Within seconds though, the piece was replaced, back to perfect.

"Oh Keitaro..."

Yoko took a timid step towards his defeated friend, holding out a hesitant hand. The others watched him move, trying to desperately to follow but finding themselves unable to do so. Yoko looked deep into his pained eyes, compassion filling his own. Taking another step forward, he nearly touched Keitaro when the bloodied man grasped at his shoulder. His eyes crunched shut and he began to moan as a line traced its way around half his chest and shoulder. Everyone's eyes widened in horror as in an immense howl of agony, the skin of Keitaro's arm and most of his right shoulder and chest slipped from his body to land with a disgusting slap in the pool of blood coating the ground.

"**NO!!!!!!"**

Snapping from his trance, Yoko leapt to Keitaro, pulling the suffering man into a massive hug. Tears slid down his eyes as his friend continued to scream as his body began to regenerate the lost flesh. He registered several bumps from different directions, something telling him the girls had finally managed to break their trance and come to Keitaro's rescue. Blood soaked their clothing as flesh continued to rain down from the crying man.

"It's ok Keitaro, it's ok we're all here for you! Please, anything for you! Just please stop hurting!"

More tears escaped Yoko's eyes as Kaolla's grief filled voice cried out. The youngest girl of them all was attached to Keitaro's leg, squeezing it tightly, trying her very best to hold Keitaro together. Kitsune was latched onto his waist; her already thin eyes squeezed shut, purposely not letting herself see the torrents of blood streaming down his body. Her hands flinched and twitched, the lady trying her very best to hold on despite everything happening beneath her fingers. Motoko and Tsuruko had wrapped their long arms around the group, heads forward and teeth grit, trying their very best to stay strong for the agonised man in the middle of them.

Yoko then felt a hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, Keitaro's regrown hand was atop it and his pain filled eyes were cast toward the ground. The other girls opened their eyes and listened intently as Keitaro spoke.

"I don't know... how much longer I can... endure this. The spirate is causing me such... agony he's nearly got me. I have to leave. I don't know if I'll ret... return."

Su shook her head furiously, pressing herself into his leg. "NO, NO, NO, NO!!!! YOU CAN'T! I'll FIND A WAY TO FIX YOU!!! Just give me a short while and I swear I'll make you ok!"

A bloodied hand nearly rested upon her head but hesitated. Moving to her shoulder, Keitaro's warm voice reached her ears.

"Not this time... sorry."

"But Keitaro, what are we meant to..."

Kitsune's pained question was cut short by a strong heave from Keitaro, sending everyone tumbling into the walls. Motoko and Tsuruko landed easily, looking up. Their eyes widened as they saw the partial transformation Keitaro had undergone in that one moment. The twisted energy that Keitaro had been producing was now back at full strength and more. The temperature dropped a few degrees more as Keitaro clutched his head in pain. He dragged his fingers down his face and turned to them. One eye was the usual warm brown but now the left was a deep glowing red. The high pitched whine that emitted from Keitaro's throat sent chills down their spines as they heard the spirates voice for the first time.

"So this is what it's like having an immortal body! And a voice too. Not bad!!! I'll enjoy..."

Keitaro's voice then cut in, roaring so loudly that the group felt the vibrations in their bones.

"**I WILL NEVER ALOW IT!!!! GET! OUT!! OF!!! ME!!!!**"

Turning, the broken boy jumped forward and out the open front door in less than a second. Gathering themselves, the shocked group ran after him but by the time they reached the door Keitaro was already long gone, blood patches spacing 50 feet from the last so massive were his strides.

Yoko, Kitsune and Kaolla all stood mouths open in disbelief. In that instant it seemed that Keitaro was now gone forever. Kitsune tried to move but found herself unable. All she could do was stare after the lone blood patches. Her mind had more or less turned off, not able or just not wanting to realise the possible reality.

'Why... after everything we have been through... how could he just leave now? Why couldn't that damned creature just have died when it was meant to? This... this is just so not fair.'

She numbly heard Motoko and Tsuruko call out to them to follow as they chased him. She saw Yoko manage to pull himself from the trance and take off after the women. The older lady couldn't tell if it was just her mind or actually him but his running was really slow and wavy. As he gradually shrunk into the distance, her head turned to face Su. The younger girl was standing looking totally defeated. Her arms hung limply beside her body and her knees bowed inward, struggling to support her weight. Her mouth hung half open and tears slowly slid down her cheeks and into the corners of her mouth. She stared forlornly after the disappearing group looking every bit as young as she actually was. The fox's heart went out to the young international student. Forcing her hand out, she gently laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Trying ever so hard to be the responsible adult, she tried a reassuring smile as Su's devastated face turned to her.

"Come now sugar. How many times have you told us Keitaro's immortal? He CAN'T die, even if he wants to. So that means he's got to be ok eventually yeah?"

Even to Kitsune it sounded hollow but it got a soft nod from Kaolla. Taking it as a positive note, she pulled the girl in close and walked her into the lounge. Sitting down and pulling her into her lap, she cast one more look over her shoulder to the door. At that moment she heard a door bump and soft footsteps. Turning, she saw Naru looking down at her, barely repressed stress and anger covering her face.

"Hey Kitsune... where's Keitaro?"

The fox sighed. Exactly what she needed right now.

-----------

Keitaro raced across the land in the fading sunlight. One hand was slapped solidly to his left eye, the other pumping furiously as his giant strides carried him hundreds of meters every few seconds. Furious determination smothered his face as he raced away from the dorms, eager to be anywhere but near his most cherished friends. He just had to make sure that he made enough distance between himself and the two samurai lady's, that were no doubt chasing him, so that they wouldn't find him too soon. He wanted to be done with this final torture when they caught up, be him alive or dead.

Keeping to the shadows and trees, the now totally naked man tore across the hillside, far from any human life. Flesh continued to rain down from him, creating an easy path to follow. Dashing up the side of one of the largest cliffs in the area, he spied a cave. Quickly pulling to a stop, he looked inside. It was deep. Satisfied, he pressed a hand to the wall for guidance and jogged in. Unable to tell distance, it was a while till Keitaro finally ran into the back wall. The shock of the impact knocked several more chunks of flesh from his body and elected a cry of pain from the exhausted man.

"Oh I can't take this anymore... I really have had enough... time to end this once and for all."

Dropping to the ground, Keitaro closed his eyes and pushed away blissful unconsciousness. Instead, he began probing throughout his infected body, searching for the king spirate.

Within his mind, hours seemed to pass as Keitaro searched. Innumerable doors were opened and closed, each seemingly unleashing an unfathomably brutal assault to his mind such was the agony his body was enduring. As the time passed, Keitaro felt his strength weaken, his determination to not pass out fading with every moment.

Finally the poor boy had enough. His thoughts slowed to near complete stop, his want to end this now totally forgotten and sleep the only thing occupying his mind.

"I... I honestly don't care anymore. I've had enough... I'll just sever my mind and be done..."

Instantly his eyes flicked open. How could he have been SO stupid as to overlook the most blatant of places? Instantly diving into his mind, he smashed down a barrier and stumbled into another room. This time though he received no onslaught of pain.

Looking around wearily, Keitaro saw the hundreds of millions of neurological paths firing in a multitude of bright lights. Moving forward, he pushed into the Medulla and top of the spinal cord. With every movement he took, the room around him deepened in a sickly black, the very walls beginning to decay in fleshy slime.

"This doesn't seem too different from when I found the darkling... I better be careful."

Continually the room darkened, the putrid stench of rotting bodies filling his nostrils. His face wrinkled in disgust but pressed on. Moving deeper into the recesses of his mind, he began to hear faint sucking and swallowing sounds, like something eating a juicy steak. Following his ears, he began heading for the darkest section he could see. The gross sounds grew ever closer and Keitaro forcefully pushed aside any thoughts about what was being eaten. Finally, a shadow within the shadows came into focus. Its sharp teeth were ripping into something limp and jelly like, tearing big chunks from it and swallowing them whole. Noticing its company, it turned to face Keitaro. Bright red slits glowed in the darkness and a big toothy grin broke out across its face.

"Keitaro! How nice of you to finally join me. I was beginning to think you weren't going to find me. I wouldn't have given a damn mind you, just means things wouldn't have been so much fun. Want some?"

It stretched out a disfigured arm, holding what Keitaro could now tell was a festering piece of the walls of his mind. He reasoned that why the spirate could eat solids now was that even as he stood here, this room was a form of imagination and as such, could take on the appearance of eating food. Making no movement, he continued staring straight into the creatures eyes.

"Get out of my body."

The spirate made no response to the demand. It simply retracted its arm and continued to eat away at Keitaro's mind.

"I'll say it again, spirate. Get. Out. Of. My. Body... NOW."

It cast a sidelong glance at the man.

"Do you seriously think that is enough to make me leave? I ain't leavin' for no one."

Keitaro strode up to it and grabbed its arm. Squeezing tightly, Keitaro felt the mass between his fingers crumple. To his surprise though the spirate just laughed and the arm he held faded into a wispy smoke. The creature strode backwards a few paces and held out the stump of its arm. The smoke returned to it and quickly formed back into a full limb on its body. It held up its hand, index finger extended upright and moving back and forward.

"Tut tut, little bitch. I don't think so. You see, I am simply a spirate by myself outside a body. But once in here, I can make myself a solid body but just as easily return it to immaterial."

Keitaro shrugged. "That doesn't bother me. Ki attacks will still work effectively on you."

The spirate laughed again. Keitaro sensed something was wrong. "Ah yes so true!! So, to compensate for that I think we should change the scenery a bit don't you?"

At that, the room around them blurred and started spiralling around itself, the walls being pulled so thinly into the spirals that they became unrecognisable. The walls then froze and began unwinding as a different room. Keitaro's eyes thinned as he remembered it.

'Hang on a second...'

As it became more recognisable, Keitaro's eyes widened with the realisation. Walls that were once pure and white were now dotted with festering black patches of what looked like a fungus. Sickly looking orbs floated overhead. Keitaro still felt the talent they each possessed but now it felt considerably different, and not in a good way. It was weak, like a dying firefly's light. They were all being poisoned and rapidly.

Looking around in shock, Keitaro's eyes came to rest on the spirate. "You did all this?"

It shrugged. "Indirectly yes. I mean, I am trying to overtake your body here. What did you expect? Roses and a welcome mat?"

"So what if it surprised me if MY body is looking so sick?? Not like you'd know though you filthy creature." Spat the now incredibly angry man.

The spirate growled. "That may be so HUMAN but soon enough it WILL be mine and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Keitaro instantly started advancing on it. "Let's test that theory."

The spirate then gave him a smile that really unnerved him. "Ah and this brings us to the reason I brought you here"

Shooting out a black arm, it grasped a sickly looking talent. Pulling it back in, it threw it up and down, all the while holding eye contact with Keitaro.

"Do you know what this is."

It was more a statement than a question and Keitaro knew the answer. He didn't respond.

The spirate started nodding slowly, its smile broadening. "I think you do... don't you."

Opening its mouth, it tipped its head back and dropped the ball down its throat. The bulge grossly expanded the thin neck as it travelled down. And then it was gone, disappearing into the spirates body. Patting its stomach, it grinned evilly at the expressionless man. Although Keitaro gave nothing away, internally his mind was a mess. That was his talent of healing. So now any Ki attack he dealt the spirate would directly affect the talent and render him totally defenceless. Things were about to get incredibly difficult.

-------

Yoko struggled to keep up with the charging samurai. He shut off his thoughts and focused totally on trying to keep up with them. He had begun experimenting with those pressure pads Keitaro was so fond of. He struggled to form them at first but after a few minutes of failing he had more or less worked out how to create one about the size of his foot. Using it like a trampoline, he jumped onto it and then used it to bounce him forward with more force than normal. The only downfall to his plan was that he couldn't create another pad fast enough and as such hit the ground faster than he could actually run. This resulted in quite a few near misses as he nearly tripped himself over. Normally he would have stopped and tried to perfect it later but for the moment, anything to distract him from worry was a bonus. Looking forward, he saw that although the dots that were now the women were still gaining on him, they were gaining slower than they were back at the dorms. Concentrating, he jumped onto a pad and pushed himself forward.

----------

Motoko and Tsuruko were quiet as they ran. Neither even attempted to make eye contact, both so totally focused on following the bloody puddles that they almost forgot their sister was beside them. Occasionally though they had a look around to see where they had been led. Ever so slowly the scenery had changed from a metropolis into a town, from a town into farms and now it seemed from farms to uninhabited hills.

Looking down again at the passing blood patches, Motoko let a wondering though enter her dull mind. 'Even now with all his injuries he still moves at such an incredible speed. If he lives through all this, I may ask him to guide me in my training.'

Hearing the scuffing of dragging shoes, Motoko looked over her shoulder. Tsuruko had skidded to a stop and was looking over her shoulder. Spinning 180 degrees, Motoko landed and slid backwards through the dirt road. Walking over to her sister, she looked at her questioningly.

"Why did we stop?"

Tsuruko continued looking back the way they came. "If you do happen to remember, oh dearest sister, but we called Yoko to follow, did we not? I am merely giving him a chance to catch up."

Nodding, Motoko sat down in the soft grass beside the road. She was surprised when after less than 5 minutes, a very dusty Yoko came bounding along the road, taking much longer steps than she recalled. His eyes were dull and glazed, almost like he was running in unconsciousness. When he neared them though, his eyes regained their focus and he skidded to a stop in front of the tall women.

"Why did we stop?"

Motoko rolled her eyes in the background as Tsuruko gave him the smallest hint of a smile. "We were waiting for you, seeming you fell back."

Yoko silently mouthed 'oh' and looked over at Motoko.

"I thought you would have just jumped the whole way here, like when we were heading over to fight the king spirate."

Motoko looked away in disinterest but answered all the same. "It may be a convenient way to travel but from such a height we wouldn't have been able to see Keitaro's tracks. As such we have to stick closer to the ground and unfortunately, a lower speed."

She then motioned to his legs. "What about you though? As you ran up to us I noticed you were taking much longer strides than I have seen before. How did you do that? I was expecting you to be at least 15 minutes behind us. And why are you so dusty?"

Yoko shrugged. "Yeah, I would have been but I've been using the time to try increase my telekinetic abilities."

He demonstrated by creating a pad and jumping onto it. "The reason I'm dusty is I only just learnt how to create them and as such sometimes miss the landing pad."

Motoko snickered to herself, taking care to make sure her ever astute sister didn't hear.

Yoko continued on. "Keitaro is incredibly fond of using these as his preferred mode of transport so that means it has to be effective. I've simply been refining my ability to create them and then use them as a spring board to increase my step length."

He demonstrated again by jumping about 5 meters from the pad he was on to another. "I am nowhere near as good at it as Keitaro but atleast I'm learning."

The pad disappeared from under his foot and he dropped to the ground. Tsuruko looked at him, impressed. "Well done Yoko. It's good your training yourself, even now." Looking across at Motoko, she motioned at her to stand up. "Anyway, if we have had sufficient rest, I urge we start our search again."

Her younger companions nodded. With that, Motoko and Tsuruko started running. Yoko 'turned off' again and focused on a pad. Jumping onto it, he sprang to the next one and quickly caught up with the jogging samurai. Once level with them, they increased speed and darted down the road.

---------

Mutsumi struggled the last few steps up to her room. After the initial burst of energy she had wore off, the rest of the trip home was quite a mission. Thankfully though it wasn't too far. Toeing open the door, the brunette tottered in and nearly collapsed as her heel caught the edge of the rug. Sweat beads appeared and slid down her brow as she managed to lay the shocked girl on the couch. Finally unloading her cargo, Mutsumi slumped to the ground, panting and dripping sweat. She stayed there for nearly 5 minutes, afraid that if she stood up she would instantly lose consciousness. How she managed to carry Shinobu all the way to her house and not pass out was a complete mystery to her. After a while, she finally felt strong enough to stand. Taking her shaky feet, she leaned against the door frame for support. After another few minutes of deep breathing, she wandered into the kitchen to grab a drink. She sipped the glass thoughtfully as she watched Shinobu through the door.

'I'm really surprised that she hasn't asked if I'm ok. It's not like I'm out for the sympathy vote or anything but she's always the first to be concerned. The poor thing really must have gotten a terrible shock seeing Keitaro that way.'

Finishing her drink, she pulled a fresh cup out and filled it with a mild cordial. Wandering back over to Shinobu, her eyes softened in compassion as she saw the look on her face. Her eyes were wide and scared, not really focusing on anything much and her mouth was open a tiny bit and moving but not making any sound. Sighing gently, Mutsumi gently eased under the poor girl and rest her head in the soft woman's lap.

"Here you go Shinobu... drink this. It should help."

Lifting the cup to her mouth, the younger girl took an unknowing sip. Life came back into her eyes as the sweet liquid ran down her throat. Blinking several times, her eyes focused on the concerned face above her.

"Mutsumi...?"

A relieved smile spread across the older lady's face. "It's good to see you're ok."

Shinobu sat up. She looked at her surrounding and then back at Mutsumi. Her head then dropped and her eyes disappeared in the shadow of her hair. "Keitaro really did... have that happen to him... didn't he."

Mutsumi sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. I don't know if you saw it though but even with what was happening to him, his eyes were still the same caring brown orbs that I love so much. They were just filled with pain, that's all."

Shinobu sat for a moment, wringing her fingers nervously. The image she had seen was still playing through her mind over and over. Shuddering, she leaned into Mutsumi's shoulder. She watched her hands move without much interest till she eventually spoke up.

"Do you think it's bad of me to leave?"

Mutsumi shook her head. "No. I know full well just how hard this is for you because I'm feeling the exact same way. I was near ready to stop going there. As much as I cherish my friends and Keitaro, I couldn't take what was going on there much longer."

Shinobu looked up at her friend. "So are you still going to leave? I just want to know 'cause I feel so bad leaving everyone like this. Even Su is lasting longer than me and she's the youngest in the house."

Mutsumi shook her head again. "No, I'm not leaving. As painful as this is to me, I can't leave. After seeing Keitaro's eyes again and seeing that they were still so full of compassion and love for us even though he was suffering so greatly... I just can't bring myself to leave."

Shinobu dropped her head. "I guess that means I can't leave then."

Mutsumi then got up and kneeled before the young girl and looked her straight in the eyes. "No Shinobu, you can do whatever you want. Don't think for a moment that because I decided to stay means you have to. Yes Kaolla may be younger than you but then, she's not as sensitive to these things is she? You are the most 'in tune' with everyone's emotions in the whole house, aside from Keitaro. So it's understandable that you will feel the pressure a lot more and sooner than anyone else. We will all totally understand that you moving away is not because you hate us or anything like that. In fact, we would rather you leave and save you emotional stress than you stay and become damaged for the rest of your life. You are young and have a full life ahead of you! Just know you have my full support in anything you choose."

The deep reassuring smile on the older lady's face brought tears to Shinobu's eyes. With a muffled 'thankyou', she dived into Mutsumi's arms and gave her a massive hug. The Okinawa lady returned the hug with all the strength she could muster, pulling the shy girl into a deep embrace. They stayed like that with Mutsumi gently shushing Shinobu and stroking her hair. After a few minutes, Shinobu pulled back and wiped her red eyes. Giving her a sheepish smile, she sniffed a few times and sat back down. At that, a gentle knock came at the door. Mutsumi wandered over and opened it revealing a saddened looking Kitsune with Su attached to her back. For once though, the dark skinned girl wasn't clamping her with the usual death grip.

She looked up and attempted a smile. "Hey there. I was just wonderin' if perhaps me and muggins here could maybe join you. Tsuruko, Motoko and Yoko have all taken off chasing Keitaro 'cause he had a turn for the worst and ran away. Naru just woke up not too long ago and forced an answer outa me so she left after them too. I didn't really feel like being alone so... yeah I thought you might like some more company."

Mutsumi gave them a warm smile and opened the door wide. "Don't be silly. You are more than welcome here whenever you need. Come on in."

Nodding awkwardly, the short haired spunk and her passenger walked over to the couch with Shinobu. Kaolla quickly slipped from Kitsune's back and attached herself to Shinobu's arm. Kitsune then sat down with them and look at Kaolla in concern. The young girls' abnormal quite was really beginning to scare her. She looked up to see Mutsumi walking out of the kitchen with two cups filled with cordial. Thankfully taking hers, she watched to see what Su would do. At first the girl made no movement but after a few gentle croonings from Mutsumi, took the cup in both hands and began to sip timidly. Shinobu watched the blond girl in concern.

"Su... are you ok? You're very quite."

"No."

The simple, honest and sad answer instantly made Shinobu's eyes water. Leaning over she hugged her younger friend. Mutsumi smiled knowingly and sat down beside Kitsune. The two older women watched the heart warming scene as Kaolla returned the hug. The two young girls just sat drawing comfort from one another as they tried to forget things, if only for a moment. Mutsumi then whispered into her friends ear, making sure Su wouldn't hear.

"Shinobu wants to move out but she's scared that she'll be met with hostility and accusation. What are your thoughts on it?"

The voluptuous lady leant back into the soft cushions and sighed. "Can't say I blame her. She is after all the softest of us. Not in a bad way of course but these kinds of things always seem to affect her the worst. I'd rather her save what's left of her sanity anyway." She then chuckled. "I ain't got nothing to worry about though. I've seen and experienced a whole lot more than her and not all of it good. I guess I'm just hardened to this stuff."

She took another swig of her drink. She sighed unhappily at the absent burning in her throat but made no mention of it. she quickly forgot that though when Kaolla spoke for the first time since arriving.

"Why does this have to keep happening? Poor Keitaros has done nothing but hurt for us. I wish I could invent something to take it all away but I can't think of a thing. It's so annoying!"

A tear slipped down her cheek as she thought of her suffering manager. Mutsumi and Kitsune's eyes saddened when they heard it. Kitsune spoke up, trying to comfort her.

"Surely it can't be that bad yeah? Like, I know he's really hurting 'nd all but like I said, this is Keitaro here! If anyone can beat this it's him yeah?"

Kaolla looked up sharply then, tears in her eyes. "But what if he doesn't?? What if this... THING does beat him?! I don't even want to think about it!! But I can't help it!! I can't even focus on my inventions to help him... I can't think of anything..."

Kitsune opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She slowly closed her mouth and looked down. Nothing she could really say would help that much. Mutsumi was the one who rescued the moment.

"Come, come, you shouldn't think or talk like that! Have faith in Keitaro! If I know one thing it's that he draws all his strength from us. If we lose hope isn't that like Keitaro is then struggling all on his own? Be strong for your manager because I know he would be for you."

Kaolla looked down in thought, processing what she just heard. She soon nodded, a small spark returning to her eyes. She didn't let go of Shinobu though.

"Yeah, I suppose your right. I gotta be strong for him! It's just pretty hard that's all..."

Shinobu looked down at her. "Isn't that why Kitsune brought you all the way down here then? So it wouldn't be so hard for you. With all of us here, we can stay strong for Keitaro as long as he needs."

She sent Mutsumi a warm smile which the lady quickly returned. Something told her she wouldn't be leaving quite yet. Standing up, the gentle lady walked over to the TV.

"So then, how about a movie? I think we all need something to take our minds off things."

She then held up two DVD's. "Now, which do you want to watch first?"

--------

Keitaro leant down on his knee, breathing heavily. He was cut and bruised badly and his body was still aching and stinging from the wounds that already plagued his physical body. Just because he looked more normal in here didn't mean it didn't hurt. He panted and looked down at a cut that was taking a very long time to heal. It was atleast a minute now and it was only just finishing closing over. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he tried to stand up straight. He winced in pain as a badly sprained ankle screamed in protest against the weight. Lifting it off the ground, he waited a few moments and tapped his toes against the ground gently. Good as new. The rest of his body was now healing up faster too. Thanking his now recovered talent, he stood up straight and faced his grinning opponent. Keitaro was really beginning to worry for his body as the black fungus that coated the once pure walls were now spreading across them. In an hour or so they would be totally coated and Keitaro had no idea what would happen then.

"Having trouble still landing a hit aye?"

Keitaro had discovered the very hard way that because the spirate was capable of generating Ki, it could overload the talent on command. It could have killed him many times but for the moment, it was just toying with him.

"So how about it? Keen for another go at me?"

Keitaro steeled himself and crouched. His eyes looked around for an opening, a weak spot. Anywhere. Just a tiny one would be good enough. After a moment, he saw it. Dashing in incredibly quickly, he came in for a head punch. As the spirate went for the counter, Keitaro fainted off it and spun around into a round house kick to the side. A sinking feeling entered his stomach again as he saw the belly of the spirate glow purple. A hand caught his kick and a tremendous punch smacked into his ribs. He felt several shatter into painful fragments and a scream escaped his mouth. Hitting the ground and rolling away, he came to a moaning stop, both hands clutching his ridiculously tortured side. He coughed a few times and nearly screamed again as the flail segments punctured his lungs in several places. Blood sprayed the ground in front of him and dribbles of it started oozing from his mouth and nose. He looked up blearily to see the spirate dancing around in glee, laughing mockingly and imitating Keitaro's face in pain.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOURSELF! HA, WHAT A RIOT!"

Keitaro growled and poked tentatively around his injured side. Although the ribs still _really_ hurt, they had more or less healed. Feigning pain still, he rolled onto his other side to think over what was going on. For the last hour, he had been played with like this. Given a seeming opening, only to be blocked and smashed away in a ball of pain. The only reason Keitaro continued with this was because it amused the creature a great deal and thus saved him from the spirate totally over loading the talent and killing him. It also gave him valuable thinking time after each hit. So far he had tried direct attacks, feint attacks, all styles of martial arts and a multitude of other things, only to be thwarted each time. He still had his telekinetic balls used for overloading spirates but if he used it, the spirate would know it was in danger and dispose of him quickly. Standing up tiredly, Keitaro began forming another plan. Seeing that its play thing was standing again, the spirate motioned for him to run at it.

Keitaro obliged, running in at a more leisurely pace than usual.

'Ok. That talent is the one thing that is holding me back. I have GOT to get it somehow."

Running in, Keitaro dodged a couple a lazy punches thrown at him by the spirate. He went for a powerful kick to the groin and watched as several hands blocked it. He nearly passed out when he felt his leg break against the arms. Pushing through it though, he managed to get one hand onto its extremely thin neck. His fingers wrapped around it and squeezed. For about a second he felt solidity till it fell into mist and disappeared from his grip. A blind hit to his back caused him to cry out as the wind was knocked clean out of him. Again sent flying, he rolled several times till he could stop his momentum. He clutched his shin in agony and desperately tried to breathe, the unnatural bend halfway down his shin slowly pulling itself straight again. Again he heard the spirate chortle in the background.

"Wow you got close that time!! I'll give you a brownie biscuit for the effort though. Hurry up and heal already! This is fun!"

Through the pain though, Keitaro started smiling. It went unnoticed by the spirate but Keitaro definitely held a grin now. A plan had just formed in his head that should work and end this. It had to or else there was no going back. But the chances of it actually working was pretty high. All he had to do was grab the spirate again. Standing up, he turned to face it. He had to make it forget the last attack though because it was the form that had the highest chance of him getting a firm grab on it. Unfortunately though, this now meant he was going to have to endure a whole world of pain for a while. Charging again, Keitaro went for the most obvious, direct attack and was instantly sent spinning. Catching himself, he turned and charged again, pushing the pain to the back of his mind. Yelling loudly, he raised a fist and jumped.

--------

Yoko, Tsuruko and Motoko were all now a fair way into the hills. Rolling valleys went on seemingly forever around them. Totally ignoring the breathtaking scenery, the three continued jumping over the rocks and small cliff faces. Motoko called out to them, the hint of excitement in her voice.

"Look at the blood stains! They are getting fresher as we follow! The blood had hardly congealed on that last puddle. We must be close!"

Her two companions nodded, a smile on both their faces. Picking up the pace, they all jumped over a large rock and disappeared down into the valley behind.

---------

Naru was currently running through the small towns, fierce determination set into her pretty features. The normally unathletic girl was now being powered by the strength that fuelled her famous Naru Punch. As such she was making remarkable time through the villages, a large cloud of dust being kicked up in her wake. She looked down at the now deep red/ brown patches on the ground that would most certainly lead her to the group ahead of her and Keitaro. Doubling her efforts, she took a right hand turn and charged off into the trees, following the patches intently.

'Don't you worry you big idiot. I'll be there soon.'

----------

Keitaro was reaching the end of his limit. Having charged multiple times and being blown away successively one after the other, he was now feeling incredibly sore and tired. He wearily stood up again, arms sagging to the ground. The spirate was tapping its foot impatiently in the middle of the room.

"Look, I know it's fun and all but I'm over this now."

Keitaro's eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen.

"Sorry little bitch but it's time for me to stop playing. My infection has nearly totally devoured this room and soon enough you won't be able to resist me anymore. So it's been a pleasure but I think it's time I finish you for good."

Keitaro quickly raised his hands and shook them. "No, no, no please let me have another shot at you! I know you enjoy seeing me pummelled and it's not like I'll ever be able to do anything every again..." Keitaro did something that really surprised the spirate. He got down on his knees. "Please let me have one more game with you. Take it as a dead man walking's request."

Totally shocked from the man's desperate begging, it didn't say anything for a moment. A deep laughter then started in its stomach and got bigger and louder till it burst from its mouth in a mocking screech.

"You seriously are so pathetic, you know that!? But just for you, I'll give you one more chance at me." It winked at him. "I'll even turn my back for you."

Spinning around it faced the other way. "READY WHEN YOU ARE!"

Keitaro instantly dropped the facade. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. He relaxed his breathing, slowed his pulse and calmed his nerves. It was now or never. Opening his eyes, the fire of determination burned within them. He started running slowly, picking up speed with each step. His stride length increased too, quickly starting to cover 20 feet in a single step. Roaring in, Keitaro reared his leg backwards for a kick. Barely 5 meters away from the spirate, it spun around and shrieked in pleasure as it shot an arm out to grab Keitaro's neck. Its eyes widened in surprise as the hand simply passed straight through the after image. Whirling around, it only just managed to block the kick aimed for its side. It was then it felt Keitaro's hands encircle its neck again.

"What the he..."

Its sentence was cut short as Keitaro unleashed a devastating torrent of condensed telekinetic power straight into its thin neck. A glass shattering scream filled the room and Keitaro's ear drums promptly exploded. Grimacing through the pain, he forced more and more of his minds powerful energy straight into the creature. The air positively warped around his head as he let go of every restraint he ever had held on his skills. The screech increased in pitch again and Keitaro howled briefly, the pain becoming near unbearable. In one final push, he unloaded what felt like 100'000 years of saved energy straight into the beast. It was thrown back in an explosion of energy, the deafening boom drowning out even the spirates shriek. Keitaro charged after it, lest it regain its bearings. Quickly nearing it, he grabbed its head and tore its jaw off. It tried to scream again but was muffled as Keitaro plunged his whole arm down the creatures' throat. Desperately searching around with his hand, he tried vainly to locate the talent. He sent another shock of telekinetic energy into the beast and sucking up all fear, stretched its oesophagus wide before jumping head first into it. The spirate desperately tried to grab Keitaro's kicking legs as the bulge of Keitaro's body slowly slid down its throat. A fluke of a kick caught the hand of one arm and dislocated its wrist. The pain caused hesitation was all Keitaro needed to slip into its body and down into its stomach.

Keitaro's arms and head quickly popped out of the oesophagus, closely followed by the rest of him. He nearly vomited as the smell hit his nostrils, the stench of rotting material overpowering. Balled up tight inside the pitch black room, Keitaro felt around desperately for the talent. Finding nothing, he quickly felt for the base of the stomach. He felt a solid hit smack him through the wall of his enclosure. Ignoring it, he found the hole. Punching through it, Keitaro quickly wriggled into the small intestine.

Meanwhile, the spirate was going absolutely ballistic. It shrieked and bellowed, running around in circles. It threw powerful punched into its gut, desperately trying to wound Keitaro in some way. It doubled up as an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable feeling struck its nerves as Keitaro forcibly crawled into its intestines. It burped several times through the hole in its head, indigestion rapidly taking hold. It shrieked in fear as the horrible wriggling feeling continued deep within its gut.

Keitaro was having a hard time too. Hard punches were smashing into him every second and there was hardly any air in there and it was quickly being burped out. Claustrophobia was quickly setting in too, the only thing driving him on being the desperate need to find this talent. Finally he felt it. His hands closed around the small, softly growing ball and he smiled. Curling up into a ball, he felt several extra hard punches hit him. That must have really hurt the spirate. Holding it tightly to him, he felt it pulling into him. It being a part of him, it was like it wanted to be merged with him inside this dreadful place. It couldn't pass through him for some reason though and so Keitaro took a page from the spirates notebook. Opening his mouth, he popped the now brightly shining talent into his maw. Tipping his head back, he struggled to swallow the sizeable object. As soon as it dropped into him, Keitaro felt it dissolve into his body. That's when Keitaro felt the pain of a massive change beginning to take place.

The spirate was doubled up in agony, the ball of Keitaro inside him blocking the normal movement of its bowl. Incredible wind pains tortured it and as such the room was filled with howl and screams of incomprehensible suffering. All of a sudden, its gut swelled out and exploded, sending parts of it all across the room. It shrilled in mind blowing agony as its blurry vision detected Keitaro stepping from its gruesome remains splattered across the walls. It noticed something different about Keitaro this time just before it lost consciousness too. Every hole in his body was shining a pure gold light. Even the very pores on his skin radiated the pure light. It saw Keitaro look down at him, the blinding light shining from his eyes causing its eyes to involuntarily close.

Keitaro stared down at the demon writhing in pain at his feet. He felt no compassion toward it though. Instead he felt a great pressure balling in the middle of his back. Closing his eyes, he felt himself lose contact with the talent room and quickly discovered he was back in his normal body. Opening his tearing eyes, he realised that his body was no longer rotting. Instead now, a massive great painful bulge was forming right across his lower back, distending the skin and muscles and bone in a way that he could not explain. Struggling towards the light that pointed the exit of the cave, Keitaro felt the incredible pressure building every second.

'I'm going to explode...'

Hurrying as fast as his disabled body would let him, he reached for the exit. Stumbling out of it, Keitaro fell down the cliff face and not a moment too soon. In a bellow of unrivalled torture, Keitaro's whole back exploded in brilliant fireworks of light.

------------

A/N – How do you think that went? I'm not too sure if I went a bit overboard back up at the beginning there or what... let me know what you think anyway and if I need to change it. Other than that though I'm pretty happy with it =) Actually, I'm REALLY happy with it! The end bit that is. This was a beast to write. A reeeeally good long one =D

Please keep in mind too that it is now 3.30am my time and I am very tired so if there are any mistakes I missed, please forgive me =P

Anywhoozie, let me know what you think of the latest instalment of Future Sight!!!!

Lanky, over and out


	25. Chapter 25

How about this... chapter quarter century!! Things are coming along well don't you think?

I also wana shout out to JustMikeG22 for the great P.M. and 0208 and for such positive reviews =D It's things like that that make it such a pleasure to write for you all. Anyway, enough with the small talk. Time to read!!

Yoko and spirates are mine. Everything else isn't.

**Chapter 25**

Motoko, Yoko and Tsuruko froze as they witnessed everything. About 5kms away had exploded an immensely bright flash accompanied by a distant scream. The light shone for several minutes and during that time, the identifiable scream of Keitaro was replaced be the nearly inaudibly high pitched shriek of a spirate. Above the scream was a slowly growing cloud of mist. Yoko cocked his ear as the spirates scream seemed to move upward into the cloud. Not looking away, he motioned at Tsuruko.

"Hey Tsuruko... you never did tell us just what happened after Keitaro inhaled that spirate before. What actually happened?"

Tsuruko's eyes brightened as she remembered. "He was nearly torn in two by the pressure inside him and eventually the spirate was pushed from his body as... a mist and a... scream."

Yoko slowly started to smile as he realised what Tsuruko had just said. "So... so you're saying that what we're seeing now is what happened to him before?"

Tsuruko shook her head slowly. "Yes, well, no, not quite. That bright light never occurred. And if you remember, Keitaro needed immediate medical attention after the ordeal, immortal or not. We must hurry!"

Immediately springing into action, Motoko launched herself into the air, quickly followed by a flapping Yoko, having just been thrown into the air by the older sister. Tsuruko took one last look in the direction of the light and pushed off after her two younger companions.

--------------

Naru was struggling along the dirt road, desperately gasping for air. Even with the powerful burst of energy, the unfit girl quickly lost strength. She still tenaciously followed the now brown blood patches, determined to find her idiot manager. Looking up, a dim flash in the distance caught her attention. Squinting to try make it out, she noticed it was in the general direction of where the blood stains were leading her. Redoubling her efforts, she started running towards the light.

-------------

Nearing the light, Yoko focused as hard as he could. There was no group of samurai to catch him this time so he had to try slow his decent somewhat. Forming a little pad under his feet, he tried standing against it. It slowed him but only by a fraction. Seeing Tsuruko and Motoko already poised to land, he tried harder to slow his fall.

"It's not working..."

Forcing himself harder, he felt his speed decline but not enough.

"I should be able to get out of this with only a few broken bones hopefully..."

Readying himself for the impact, he didn't expect to see Tsuruko kick off the ground as soon as she landed. Sticking her leg straight out, she caught the surprised boy around his gut and cushioned him under her. Using his momentum, she flipped around under him and kicked him back up into the air, about 3 meters over the ground. Landing gracefully, she watched as Yoko controlled his fall and land crouched down, a look of shock on his face. Hearing his saviour's voice, he looked up.

"Good to see you can control a lower fall. There may be hope for you yet. But now, we find Keitaro."

Quickly composing himself, he nodded and started running toward the now extremely dim light. Looking up, he saw that the mist was generating more gray around it, the unusual low pressure system drawing in dark rain clouds from all around.

Motoko began steeling herself against what they may find. From what her sister had described and how weak Keitaro was the first time around, who knew how bad things could be. Jumping a massive boulder, she saw the last of the light disappear down a small valley. Not waiting for the other two, she launched herself over to it. Tsuruko and Yoko quickly followed, both disappearing down after the raven haired girl.

When they landed, they saw Motoko already heading for a pair of feet sticking out from behind a rock. Charging across, they found Keitaro lying on a soft patch of grass, smiling up at them weakly. The boy was drenched in sweat, his hair limply stuck to his forehead and ears. Pools of water and blood mingled around his naked body. No one batted an eyelid though as he began to speak quietly.

"H...hey guys! Guess what...? I-It's... finally... over."

The group let out a nervous breath and smiled unsurely back down at him.

"You sure buddy? Like, suuuuuuurrrrre sure this time?"

Coughing gently, Keitaro slowly nodded.

That was when Yoko's real smile broke out. Whooping in pure excitement, he latched onto a very surprised and indignant Motoko, giving the girl the biggest hug of her life. Tsuruko smiled broadly and knelt down beside her old friend.

"That is such good news! Perhaps after you rest you can recount to us about how you did it?"

Keitaro attempted a feeble laugh but ended up coughing again, this time harder. Tsuruko's eyes thinned slightly and her smile lost some of its sparkle.

"Y-yeah, for sure."

Coughing again, even more forcefully, the glee filled Yoko and fuming Motoko looked down. It did not sound good. Tsuruko got down on her hands, trying to work out where the blood seemed to flow from. Glancing at Keitaro, the samurai gave him a quick once over with her eyes. She then glanced at the dark sky, a largish water droplet landing on the top of her head. They had better move him soon.

"Can you feel any pain anywhere?"

He shook his head, his smile and eyes taking a more sombre look. "Funny you should mention that... I can't feel anything... atleast, not below my neck."

Tsuruko's eyes widened. "Could you have done anything that broke your neck??"

Keitaro shook his head slowly. "No... I fell down here but could still move. I kinda blacked out after that thankfully."

She motioned across Motoko and Yoko. They kneeled beside him, both now very worried. Glancing at them, she placed her hands on Keitaro's shoulder. "Ok then. Well, we have to find out where you're bleeding from. We're going to roll you over to check your back ok?"

Keitaro nodded trustfully. Looking at the other two, she nodded. On three, they rolled the suspiciously light man onto his side. As soon as it was revealed, all three gasped in horror.

A massive deep hole completely covered Keitaro's back, from the bottom of his shoulders to his tailbone. It bled freely, blood oozing from it and down across their clothes. His whole spine and part of his ribs could be seen around the missing meaty chunks, even the back of his weak lungs becoming visible on the breath in. It took the younger two all their might not to drop him and jump back in shock. Instead they shut their eyes and lowered him down onto his back again, so very thankful he couldn't feel it. Keitaro laughed gently when he saw their tears.

"That b... bad huh?"

Tsuruko said nothing, simply opting to shake her head, lest the lump in her throat become a bad speech wobble. She said a thankful prayer when Yoko spoke for her.

"Y-yeah mate, it's pretty bad hey. There's no use trying to soften the reality to you I don't think so yeah... you have a massive great hole in your back. And it's not healing for some reason."

Keitaro nodded slowly. "I see. Maybe it's my time."

He then smiled an extremely tired smile. One that was many millions of years old. It was then that the cool dark rain came down upon them.

An invisible tear silently slid down Motoko's cheek. "No. Not here you're not. I won't let you."

Keitaro smiled his big, all inclusive, all loving smile and reached up. Her eyes widened when she felt his hand on her face, wiping away the tear and some of the rain. She wondered how he knew she was beginning to cry.

"It's ok. I have lived far, far, _far_ longer than my fair share. It will be a great relief from this never ending life. I know it's sad but after living through so much I would welcome this with open arms. I'm just thankful I have atleast three of my closest friends with me now. So don't cry over me ok?"

The grief stricken girl cupped his hand. "NO! No I won't cry over you because you're not going! Not yet you're not! You have to stay with us until we're all old! That's how it was always going to be! See? You can move your hand again so you must be healing! There's still time!"

Keitaro laughed softly. "That's actually telekinesis. I wanted to wipe away your tear so I picked up my hand. I can't hold it much longer though..."

Eyes wide, Motoko quickly caught the arm that fell from her face.

"S...sorry. I'm feeling a bit weak that's all. And just so you know... I HAVE lived with you. I HAVE seen you grow old. I even saw you die."

Keitaro's eyes then began to fill with tears as sad old memories began to haunt him again.

"I think you somewhat understand what it felt like for me now when I lost all of you... to keep living on without all... all of you. It hurt me so much being without you."

He looked up at the silent Tsuruko, making sure she knew he included her in this. He then looked down at the static Yoko, barely controlled emotion raging behind his pale eyes.

"I even saw y... you die. Back in the future, on that first spirate run you did with me. That hurt me... so, so much. Though I greatly cherish our time and all your friendship so deeply... in the end, you will die again... leaving me alone."

Tears now began sliding down the sides of Keitaro's face, mixing with the blood, sweat and raindrops on the ground.

"I don't wana be alone again! I'm too lonely by myself! I..."

Keitaro paused for a fit of coughing, his three friends quickly leaning over him, calling his name and trying to make sure he was ok. After a few second though, it calmed and he looked back up at them, ignoring their calls to stop talking.

"I couldn't do it again. As much as I enjoy being with you now, I know that within as much as a breath for me, you will all be gone again."

Yoko quickly took up the reigns, holding one of his dear friends limp hands. "But what about the 8th sense?? You could just rewind it and come back like before!"

Keitaro shook his head sadly. Ageless eyes looked at each of them, penetrating deeper into their souls than they knew existed. "I would like to but... but that's one reason why I believe time flows only in a forward direction. I... have done lots of thinking about it and that's... that's the reason I have come up with for why normal people cannot control it. Life is best viewed in ONLY a forward direction. It's like... like the best movie you have ever have... and ever will experience. It may be filled with confusion and regrets a... and fear and sadness and love and all that. But like a movie, once it's watched, no matter how many times it's replayed, you will never feel the same amount of excitement and expectation that you did when you watched it the first time around. Besides... even if I did rewind time, none of you would remember all the hardships and trials that we went through now. It would be like me living with ghosts... And death... that thing that brings rest to us all... it signals the end of a brilliant legacy, no matter how mundane the life of the person was. No one ever had or ever will live that life. It is in itself a masterpiece, unable to be replicated even by the most advanced intradimensional photon 4.75D movie theatre. I know you don't know what that is but trust me, it makes for a very interesting and realistic movie experience."

The group laughed sadly together, wondering about what else this man had seen. Tsuruko wiped her eyes as the rain droplets slid down her cheeks, the tears mingling with them. Yoko and Motoko however sat motionless, their tears sliding freely down their faces. Keitaro took a shaky breath and looked at them again, a deep warming sensation filling them as they looked upon his warm brown eyes.

"So... that's why I want to be allowed to go. My life has been far too long for me to handle. Things have happened to me because of my immensely long life that should never have. I just want a conclusion in my story. That has been my dream for nearly Five Million, Two Hundred Thousand years now."

His eyes flashed as he remembered the date exactly. "It is one of the very few memories I can recall from that time. I was around One Hundred and Fifty... I think... and that was when it really sunk in that I was going to live for near forever, after Tsuruko's great grandchildren had died."

He smiled up at the woman as she closed her eyes in compassion for the man. "So... so if I can die now... please let me. I've had enough."

Keitaro's weak voice ended and they all sat silently, the only noise being the steady beating of gray rain upon the ground. Yoko looked at the two ladies that sat beside him. He saw Motoko staring at Keitaro, her eyes shimmering and mouth slightly apart, tears and rain running down her beautiful face. Looking across at Tsuruko, the swordswoman looked back up at him, eyes nearly a mirror image of the pain he was feeling. She sent him a sad little flicker of a smile before looking back down at Keitaro. Trying to swallow past the already cricket ball sized lump in his throat, he rubbed Keitaro's hand comfortingly, not caring if he couldn't feel it. It took him nearly a whole minute of preparing himself before he could finally say what he wanted to say.

"O... ok buddy. I-if that's really what you want... then I don't mind. I really, _really_ wish you would stay but I trust your decision... you have been such an amazing friend and... and..."

He began to choke on his words, struggling to get them out. Taking a deep breath, he focused as hard as he could on the last three words.

"...and... I'll miss you."

He then broke down, cupping his head in his hands. Motoko and Tsuruko were both silent, watching the slowly fading man. His eyes began to dip as his breathing shallowed. Yoko looked up as he heard a soft whisper.

"I'll... miss...you guys... ... too."

Keitaro's eyes then closed gently, a deep breath escaping his slightly smiling mouth.

-------------

A/N – Noooooooo Keitaro... ='(

Definitely one of the saddest chapters I have written. I know it's a short chapter but it's part of the plan. I'll see you guys in the next chapter.

Lanky Nathan


	26. Chapter 26

OK PEEPS CHAPTER 26. It's time to give you guys a longer chapter again I think. So enjoy =)

But first,

To Mr. Anonon!! Thankyou for your interest in how the story is progressing but I assure you, I AM NOT rushing this. It would be rather helpful if you would do more than just tell me that my story is turning to crap. Tell me how to fix then!! It ain't gona get any better for you if I don't know what you like/ what you see is wrong. Yes the last chapter was a bit shorter but that was a part of my original idea. Not so much the length but where it finished at. There is still much left to be written about and I am not gona skimp on the details one little bit (or simply write 'rubbish' to fill the gap to the stories end). Could you also possibly name yourself if you review again? I'd rather talk about my story issues with you via P.M., rather than broadcasting it to the world.

On a different note though, I find it really interesting just how different people's views on stories are. I get one review a few chapters ago telling me I'm smothering my story in too many layers of detail and then I get this one saying I'm rushing things. Very intriguing!! I rather enjoy seeing the differences between readers =)

And to Megato, JustMikeG22 and 0208, thankyou for your kind words too. Those emotions were exactly what I was hoping to achieve =) Glad you liked it.

With that in mind then, I give you the next chapter.

**Chapter 26**

Naru came charging over the hill. She could tell Keitaro was close. She could damn well near smell how close he was. Catching her breath against a massive boulder, Naru looked down the small hill in front of her. A small stream was forming in the valley below from all the runoff from the hills around. She looked up at the steadily beating rain in frustration. It was meant to be sunny for the next week! It did not help that she was wearing clingy clothing. All the water made it that much more revealing and she would rather die than let any male catch her in such a state. Especially the one she was so desperately trying to save. Cocking her head slightly, she then shook it, dismissing the contradiction her mind just formulated. If he decided to perve, she would hit him later. Nodding with finality, she jumped down the embankment and quickly looked around. The water was washing away the blood stains quickly but thankfully there was one more off to her left that was just visible. Quickly following it, she rounded the corner and stopped.

Less than 25 feet away sat the three people she was chasing, silently looking down at the still body before them.

"Motoko...?"

As the brunette took a few tentative steps forward, the younger samurai looked over her shoulder. Naru's eyes widened in surprise and fear as she saw the loss in her friends' eyes. Tears that Naru had rarely ever seen were slipping down her cheeks, quickly taken up in the raindrops still running down her face.

"No..."

Dashing over, she slapped a hand to her mouth in shock as her eyes rested on the still, pale man that lay between them. His washed out skin and pale blue lips said more to her than a mountain of words.

"KEITARO!!"

Jumping between the three silent bystanders, Naru grabbed Keitaro by the shoulders and gave him a hefty shake.

"Keitaro!! Wake up!!"

Nothing.

Looking back at the grieving trio, her eyes moistened as reality sunk in. A silent gasp escaped her mouth as she leaned into Keitaro's still body. She dropped her head to his chest and let out a stifled sob. Her head turned away from the group, her ear now resting on his wet skin. A tear slipped down her cheek as she sniffed.

"No. Don't go. Please..."

A soft thump registered in her ear. Through the quickly forming tears, a confused frown formed on her face. Listening again, moments passed before another barely audible thump reached her. Quickly pressing her fingers to Keitaro's neck, she felt the extremely weak and slow pulse of the boy. Gasping, she turned her head to the trio.

"He's still alive!! Why didn't you check?!"

Yoko's eyes widened when he heard this. "B-but he just died! Didn't he?"

Tsuruko leaned forward, listening intently. She too gasped when she heard the thump. "His energy had totally left him! I felt it! Even now I can't feel any sign of life from him... so why... it doesn't matter. Motoko, Yoko, we take him to hospital now."

As hard as it was for her, Motoko swallowed and spoke up. "But... he wanted to be allowed to die. Shouldn't we atleast let him in his final moments?"

Naru's eyes filled with rage but a menacing glare from Tsuruko silenced her. Turning back to Motoko, her eyes softened but she still spoke with authority. "That may be the case but he should not be allowed to go like this. He at the very least deserves a dignified death. And here, naked and wet, is definitely not the proper, respectful way to see him off. We take him to hospital. If he dies, he dies, but he dies in comfort."

Turning to Naru, she nodded her head in apology. "I am sorry for not reacting sooner."

Lifting the man, Tsuruko stood up straight. It was then Naru saw the gaping hole in Keitaro's back. Dropping backward, she let out a small scream, unable to drag her wide eyes away from the injury. Motoko saw this and ran over, pulling Naru's eyes from him. Looking up at her sister, she nodded once. Nodding back, Tsuruko crouched down and jumped, propelling herself away to a dot in the sky in seconds. Yoko took a step after the disappearing samurai. He hesitated for a second as he looked back at the two girls in the mud. When he saw Motoko shake her head and motion for him to go, he nodded and quickly dashed away, disappearing out of the valley in an instant.

Motoko desperately wished she could follow at the same pace but knew Naru needed a friend. Looking down at the sobbing girl, she brought her distressed eyes up to meet her own.

"Hey, it is ok. Sister has Keitaro and at the moment, nowhere is he safer than with her. Come, we must go and tell the others of the development."

Naru nodded silently and took Motoko's extended hand. Standing up, she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back up with determination shining in them again. "The other's are with Mutsumi. They said they were headed there just before I left."

Motoko nodded and started running. Looking across at Naru, she internally sighed. As much as she valued her friend, she wished she was slightly more fit. This was going to be a long run.

Yoko charged along as quickly as he could muster. In the distance above him, he could see Tsuruko flying along. Shaking his head, he wished he was able to waste as little energy as the two warriors he had been following. Without his knowledge though, he was keeping up a very impressive speed. Dust flew up from behind him as he sprinted along. Had he been paying attention and if it was under a different circumstance he would have been very proud of himself. Vaulting over a large rock, he looked back up at Tsuruko. Though still distant, she hadn't gained any on him. Taking a quick look back down, he saw the distant sky scrapers of the city. Scowling, he redoubled his efforts, pushing into his pads with extra strength.

Tsuruko sailed along gracefully, Keitaro tucked safely into her arms. The deathly silent man still made no movement or sign that he was alive. A few times she checked his pulse to see if he was still there. The fact Keitaro had NO energy signal and yet was still alive continued to baffle her. She didn't try to dwell on it too much though as there was already so much she couldn't comprehend about the man. Occasionally, she looked down, feeling the strong will of Yoko below her as he followed. She smiled as she noted she was not gaining any distance on the boy. Shifting her precious load in her arms, she tucked Keitaro up close to her chest, shielding his face from any wind burn. Looking back up, she saw the city coming in rapidly. Absentmindedly she congratulated herself on the massive jump. It was easily the longest distance she had cleared in one step. Rolling onto her back, she prepared herself for the solid landing. Her feet extended but her eyes widened when she felt a soft resistance under her shoes, still a good 20 meters above the ground. The pressure increased as she fell, successfully slowing her decent to a much more manageable landing. Her feet touched down solidly, but nothing like what it could have been. Looking up in surprise, she saw Yoko running towards her, arm outstretched and fingers splayed wide. A pained look covered his face but he showed no sign of slowing down.

"Where is the hospital?!"

Quickly coming back to her senses, Tsuruko turned and dashed down the road. Yoko rapidly drew up beside her, slowing his pace considerably. He said nothing as they ran but Tsuruko could tell he was in serious pain. He kept clutching at his head and he squinting as they ran. She contemplated asking if he was alright but she knew he would just tell her to keep running.

Turning a sharp corner, the two spied the hospital at the end of the street. Yoko charged off, quickly drawing away from the mildly surprised Tsuruko. Bystanders on the sidewalk gasped in shock and quickly grabbed at their clothing and other loose garments as the boy charged past them, whipping up a whirlwind. Sticking his heels into the ground, he skidded the last several meters to the hospital and forced the doors open with a loud crash.

"QUICKLY WE NEED A DOCTOR!!!"

As several came running, they looked around for the patient. "So where's the..."

Tsuruko then slid through the door holding the weak, naked man in her arms. Everyone gasped when they saw the horrific injury and instantly the hospital was in a state of emergency. A bed appeared from nowhere and Keitaro was quickly placed face down on it and rushed through a set of two-way doors, disappearing into the depths of the white building.

Tsuruko stood silently catching her breath. She looked around and saw Yoko in a chair, hands pressing into his eyes in pain. Sitting beside him, she put a worried hand on his back.

"It's ok, it's just a really bad migraine. I get them when I overexert myself. Slowing your fall as well as holding that pace really gave me a corker though... arrrrr damn it hurts!!"

Tsuruko looked up worriedly. Seeing the triage nurse looking at them through the glass, Tsuruko called out. "Do you think we could get some help? He has a severe migraine."

She nodded and quickly stood up, disappearing out the back. Tsuruko felt Yoko shift beneath her hand. She looked down at the now slightly green boy.

"Oh... *hurp*... I think I'm gona be sick..."

He dry reached a few times before his cheeks filled with substance. Dashing from Tsuruko's hand, he disappeared into the toilets, shortly followed by the nauseating sounds of sickness. The triage nurse came out the doors just as Yoko disappeared into the toilets. She quickly followed him in and in a few minutes was helping the washed out boy through the doors and off to a bed to rest. Tsuruko lay back into the seat, now content knowing that her two friends were in good hands. The TV rambled on in the distance of her consciousness and slowly the frantic pace of the emergency room slowed back down to its normal function. Sighing, the lady rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. She knew that the other girls would be turning up soon and that rest was going to be scarce when they did. Closing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest, she let her mind drift off into the land of nod.

Naru and Motoko made their slow way towards the city. Thankfully Mutsumi's room was on this side of the city but it didn't do much for their painstakingly slow progress. Motoko looked over at the fatiguing Naru. She knew she was giving it her all but it just wasn't enough. She had contemplated asking Naru before but had held her tongue because she knew the girl's pride was too great. Now though, she knew Naru may accept the offer.

"Naru... I was wondering if perhaps you would like to ride on my back?"

She flinched under the sharp glare but continued anyway. "You are very tired. I know it wouldn't be the most dignified way to travel but atleast it would be fast and it's only for a short moment anyway. There are not many people on these roads so the chance of anyone even seeing is low. So what do you say?"

Naru continued staring down on Motoko to the point where she thought Naru was going to eat her. Then Naru sighed and stopped, trying to catch her breath. "Ok, but only this once and only to Mutsumi's house."

Motoko nodded and internally thanked the heavens that that the painfully slow pace was over. Dropping to one knee, she felt the light girl mount her. Standing straight, she gripped Naru's legs. "I suggest you hold on with one arm and use the other to hold down your skirt."

Naru nodded and squealed in surprise as Motoko took off at a pace that would have far outrun her.

Mutsumi and the girls were currently watching an incredibly sappy love drama. They were all off in their own little world, two of them thoroughly engrossed in the movie, the others in the middle of a day dream. They all jumped when the door was pushed open by a red faced Naru and a smirking Motoko.

"You really should have missed running through the main streets Motoko. Now everyone knows the colour of my undies."

Sighing, she turned to the perplexed group and quickly motioned for them to come. "Anyway, ignore that and get ready. We found Keitaro and he's now in hospital."

They all instantly jumped into action at the name of their beloved manager. Su ran up to them, hope filling her eyes. "Does that mean Keitaros won?? That that spirate thing is beat??"

Motoko sighed sadly. "Yes, Keitaro killed the creature. Unfortunately though... he is badly wounded and he is not healing for some reason. Anyway, we must hurry to the hospital. He is in a critical condition."

Hearing the distressing news, everyone worked faster to be ready. Within minutes they were all at the door and ready to go. Mutsumi had urgently called a cab and it just so happened that one was in the area. They all quickly piled into the back seat and the cabbie ordered to, "Drive."

Tsuruko's eyes split open as she heard the familiar cacophony that accompanied the girls of the Hinata dorms. Stretching, she rubbed the back of her neck as she yawned delicately. Her bleary eyes spied the multitude of colours as they entered the doors. Waving to them, they all bustled over, a mixture of bodies and questions smothering the green haired beauty. Waving them away as best she could, Tsuruko told them to sit sternly. As they did so, she cleared her throat.

"Keitaro has been taken in by the emergency doctors. He is currently in the operating theatre I believe. Yoko suffered a massive migraine as well due to him overexerting himself on the way here."

She heard Naru snort in the background. She sent the girl an annoyed glance. "If it wasn't for him, Keitaro wouldn't have arrived as quickly or in as good health as he did. You should be thanking his efforts, not mocking him."

Naru said nothing but folded her arms across her chest anyway, a cross look adorning her features. Tsuruko sighed at the girls' stubbornness and continued. "Either way, all we can do for now is wait for word on the both of them. We may be in for a bit of a stay though. If you can get some rest it would do you some good."

They all nodded and began murmuring amongst themselves. Tsuruko yawned again and began settling back down to sleep. It was then a soft tapping on her arm roused her. Opening one eye, she saw Shinobu standing there. Smiling, she opened both eyes. "What can I do for you?"

The young girl looked away unsurely before whispering into her ear. "I... I still want to leave but I don't know how Keitaro will take it... I'm so uncertain as to what I should do."

Tsuruko's eyes softened. "It's perfectly ok. Out of all of us, I believe Keitaro will be the one that will support you the fullest. You know all too well how much he encourages us. Even with difficult decisions like this, I know he will be there to guide you."

A light sheen of tears covered Shinobu's eyes. "That's exactly it. I know I have to tell him but then, I don't know if I could. He's just too reassuring!! He would make it sound like NOT leaving would be the worst choice... I know it sounds strange but if I tell him... I don't know... I can't even put it into words."

She hung her head in defeat. Tsuruko smiled warmly and put her hand on the small girls head. "Well, how about you come into see Keitaro when he's out. You don't have to say anything yet. Just wait and see."

Shinobu sniffed and nodded quietly. Tsuruko nodded knowingly and patted the seat beside her. "Come now. It will be a while before we hear anything. You best try rest."

Sliding into it, Shinobu rested her head against the taller lady's shoulder. Tsuruko smiled once again and leaned back into her seat. Closing her eyes, she yawned and began to drift.

'I guess even these girls know when it's best to be settled.'

Many hours later, a nurse came through the door holding a clipboard. Looking down at the name, she quickly read it and looked up.

"Friends and family of a Keitaro Urashima?"

Instantly she was swamped by several girls. Motoko, Mutsumi, Shinobu and Tsuruko however roused themselves from sleep and quickly rubbed the crust from their eyes. Standing, they moved over and Tsuruko's strong voice silenced the barrage of questions directed at the hapless nurse.

"That is all of us. Please, how is he doing? Yoko too, if you have any information on him."

The nurse flipped through some papers and found some info on the taller patient. "Yoko is currently asleep. He nearly suffered a brain haemorrhage actually... that was a worry. For some reason though the pressure quickly passed and he is fine now. As for Keitaro... well, the doctors managed to stitch him up as best as they could but due to the severity and size of the injury there was only so much they could do. They had to leave the injury open as it was too big to do anything else to it and as such he is now in intensive care. I'll have to warn you though, he looks pretty bad."

Nodding, Tsuruko followed the nurse in, girls closely in tow. They wound through a labyrinth of white corridors, injured people and their loved ones sitting quietly in the numerous little bays that branched off the main walkway. As they walked, Tsuruko noted that the people in the bays were slowly worsening in injury. At the beginning there were only minor things like bad cuts and sprains, now the curtains were drawn and the hopeless moans of distressed people floated through the air. Checking back on the group, she saw the younger girls and even Naru drawing close to the older duo for comfort. Motoko remained as impassive as ever, holding her emotions as she had been trained. Meeting Kitsune's eye, she raised brow in question. The older lady just shrugged her shoulders and gave her a half hearted smile. Smiling in return, Tsuruko turned back. After what seemed an age of walking, the nurse finally came to a stop in front of a large, curtained off room.

"We moved Yoko in with Keitaro seeming he was pretty concerned with your friends' health. With that in mind I will ask you to be a little more quiet than usual so he can rest. As for Keitaro... I must warn you again, he is in a really bad state. If you cannot handle it, please sit over here and catch your breath. The last thing we want is another injury."

Nodding respectfully at the nurse, Tsuruko smiled. "Thankyou. I will see to it that none of them pass out."

As the nurse disappeared behind the curtains, Tsuruko turned to face the group. Eyeing each one of them, she sighed and spoke. "As you heard, Keitaro is in a very bad state. Myself, Naru, Yoko and Motoko can vouch for it. Please remember though that hospitals always make things look worse with all the tubing and so forth. I believe I already know the answer to this but is there anyone who does not wish to come in?"

Looking around the group, she saw many unsure faces but each filled with their own little fire of determination to be strong. The corner of her mouth edged upward in a small smile as she stepped back. "In that case, let's go see him."

Walking through the curtains, she held them aside so the smaller girls could get through. She sighed as she heard the gasps of disbelief and the sniffle of sobs beginning to break out. Letting Mutsumi through last, she let go and turned to have a look at the doctors' work. Although prepared, the sight still somewhat shocked her. Keitaro was laying face down on the bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages. His back was especially raised from the mountain of packing in place. Seemingly hundreds of tubes were poking from his skin, all connected to drips of all sorts. Browsing quickly over the bags, there were pain killers, antibiotics, immunity boosters and a whole lot of other things she had never heard of and never expected Keitaro to need. He was hooked up to a mask pumping oxygen into his frail body. Thankfully though a look of complete peace was on his face. His eyes were resting shut like he was in the deepest sleep of his life and his mouth was turned upward in a small smile, his lips disappearing behind the vapour in the mask after each breath.

Naru and Motoko were the first to make their way over to Keitaro's bed side. Holding the railing on the beds edge, Naru gave an attempt at a smile. "H-hey Keitaro! It's me, Naru. I know you're not awake at the moment but I do know hearing is the last sense to go in sleep so... anyway, I just wanted to say that although you're a complete idiot for running off like that, I'm still really happy you're ok. So... come back soon yeah?"

Motoko watched the sad girl begin stroking Keitaro's hair as tears slid down her cheeks. She almost wished she could do the same to comfort the valiant warrior but it was highly improper of her to do something like that in the presence of the young ones. So instead she restrained herself to standing calmly beside the bed, eyes closed as she prayed for her friend.

Next to run over were Shinobu and Kaolla. They stood two down from Naru, leaning over the bed, hands reaching out to touch him but afraid that they would hurt him if they did. While Kaolla smiled through the occasional tear and talked about how easy he was gona beat this, Shinobu stood silent, no moisture in her eyes. She so desperately wanted to just attach herself to Keitaro and never let go but her decision remained strong in her mind. So, using every ounce of effort she could muster, she held back her emotions and just stared blankly at the resting man.

Kitsune and Mutsumi held back with Tsuruko, letting the younger ones go unhindered. Kitsune then noticed the unusually composed Shinobu and leaned back into Tsuruko's ear.

"That little lady really is determined to follow through with leaving, isn't she?"

Tsuruko nodded slowly but it was Mutsumi that spoke. "Well, I can hardly blame her. The poor darling has had it so tough these last few weeks. I suppose it was only a matter of time till she cracked. Though I must admit I didn't expect her to be so resolute about it."

Kitsune nodded and sighed while shrugging her shoulders. "Well, that's how it goes I suppose. I won't be happy to see our little chef leave but everyone has to fly the coop at some stage... Oi!"

Jumping forward, the fox gave the solid item that smacked into her bottom an annoyed look. Through the curtain came the nurse and two chairs. "Sorry about that. I just thought you would like some chairs while you wait."

Smiling happily, Kitsune grabbed the chairs. "Sure thing, bring them on in! I imagine we'll be having a camp out here for as long as possible so a couple more would be good. We get enough and we can make a cubby house!"

Tsuruko and Mutsumi giggled quietly at her light hearted humour. Seeing more chairs poke through, Tsuruko grabbed them and pulled them across. Mutsumi looked over when she heard her name called. Tsuruko was standing with her finger pointed at a chair.

"Sit."

Smiling at her blunt, caring way, the fragile lady eased herself into it. She watched as Tsuruko then let her be and went across to check on Yoko. The boy seemed alright, apart from the catheter running into the back of his hand. Looking over, she smiled as Kitsune ambled across and slung an arm around the younger samurai's shoulder. She spoke for a few moments before getting smiles from the girls. Relaxing into the chair, she whispered a quiet thank you to the mischiefus lady for her ability to lighten any mood. Crossing her arms over her ample chest, she let her head fall forward as sleep beckoned. It was time to play the waiting game again.

Days came and went as the group waited. They stayed every day from open till close, entertaining each other to drive away the long hours. Yoko woke up after a day and a half's rest and after another day of checking, was discharged with a smile and a lollipop. He went back to the dorms for a day to eat some real food and generally clean up after the ordeal. He then proceeded to come down with the girls each day to watch over Keitaro.

The doctors came occasionally, checking the injured man's progress. Every time though, they had nothing new to report. His pulse was still weak and slow and the injury was taking an incredibly long time to heal itself. That worried the group, knowing how sturdy their friend usually was. After a week, the doctors removed the bandages to check on the injury. Only the older ladies were allowed to stay and watch, much to the dismay of the rejected party. All the women could do was shake their heads in sorrow when they finally saw the work.

While the injury was much better than when he had been brought in, it was still very deep and red. The doctors were constantly checking for signs of infection and any other things that could be going wrong. Always concerned, Mutsumi had asked about the injury and scaring fairly soon into the check up. The doctors didn't have much to say about the injury other than it was the worst one of its kind any of them had ever seen. The healing time was a bit of a worry though because atleast by now there should have been some form of muscle sinew growing back. The girls quietly kept to themselves but were extremely worried about that little fact. It was almost as if Keitaro was caught in limbo, not getting any worse but then not getting any better either. Many of the doctors speculated as to why this could have been happening but right now it was all just a mystery.

Weeks came and went with no visible change in the wound. The frequent daily visits eventually turned to every second day, then a few times a week and then after two months had passed, to sometimes even less than once a week. Shinobu had planned to move out during this time but after the pleading of all the girls, she decided to wait until Keitaro came back. She said she didn't want to wait too long but Kitsune decided to come to the rescue of the fretting tenants.

"Hunny, just think. You're worried about all the nasties happening because of Keitaro yeah? Well, doesn't that mean that while Keitaro ain't here, there shouldn't be any problems? Please wait with us Shinobu-baby. For me?"

She hesitantly agreed, somewhat accepting the strange logic that Kitsune pressured her with. And with that solitary bump smoothed out, their lives all went back to normal.

While the concern for their manager was still there, the residents of the Hinata dorms had had to make themselves move on. They knew they couldn't be living in the hospital taking up space. Bills had to be paid, rooms had to be cleaned and lives had to be lived. Tsuruko eventually had to say goodbye as her intended stay was far longer than she desired. So it was maybe another few weeks after that that Keitaro first stirred.

The doctors hadn't noted anything unusual at first. Their daily rounds had given them the same results the previous few months had. About an hour after though, Keitaro's dark mind finally decided that it was time to wake up. At first, all Keitaro could hear were the incoherent beeps and murmuring of people rooms away. He groaned slightly as he felt a pressure building up all around his torso. After much thinking he came to realise that it was because something had been pushed from his body, namely his back, and the bandages that were surrounding him had now tightened. It was annoying but not painful and served as a useful method of rousing his incredibly drowsy senses.

He licked his dry lips and focused on opening his eyes. Very slowly, they complied. Dust and sleep covered his eyelashes making them stick together. Finally though, they were open. He moved his fingers and toes as he checked to see if the rest of him was there. Once that had been confirmed, he focused on moving his rebellious arms out from under the covers. Heaving himself up, he rested on his forearms. Small stings along his veins noted him to the number of small catheters up and down his arms. He bit his lip as he gently pulled them out, the small holes left healing up instantly. He sighed as he dropped the needles, realising he was not only alive, but in a hospital of all places. He was quietly surprised that he was in a regular room though, NOT a jail cell. Taking a look around his room, he didn't notice anything unusual. No surveillance cameras, no guards, nothing. Rolling awkwardly onto his side, he clenched his eyes together as pins and needles raced the entire length of his body. When it finally subsided, he realised he must have been here a very long time. Taking a shaky breath as he sat up, he waited for the slight head spin to pass as he reached for the assistance bell.

Naru was out sweeping the front entrance lazily. Not much effort was going into it as it was the final of many mediocre chores she had completed. The only thing that kept her going was the delicious scent drifting from the kitchen window. Sighing, she leant against the broom stick and wondered for what seemed the millionth time why she was such an abysmal cook. Hearing the phone go, she ignored it and continued sweeping. After several rings, she turned and called through the door to her lazy friend.

"Kitsune! I know you're in there! You gona answer that?"

Hearing nothing, she sighed and ran in. She shot a dirty glare at the unconscious lady on the couch as she picked up the phone.

"Good afternoon, Hinata residence. How may I help you?"

Faint, tinny but excited mumbling came from the ear piece as Naru's eyes widened until they near filled her head. When it finally finished, she whispered, "I'll be there in 15 minutes", before promptly slamming down the phone and rushing over to Kitsune. Gripping her shoulder, she shook her violently, electing an unhappy groan from the woman.

"Whaaaaaat? Damn it Naru can't you tell I was sleeping?"

Naru totally ignored it as she ran into the kitchen. "Keitaro's awake!!"

Instantly the blond had her eyes wide open but then scrunched closed again as the hangover hit. The chorus of screams of delight didn't help with the headache that decided now was a good time to arrive. Staggering to the kitchen, she opened the medicine cabinet, downing a couple of aspirin as the bustle of movement behind her furthered her headache. Grabbing her coat, she wandered to the door, already the last one there. Purposely keeping her eyes closed more than usual, she stepped out into the sun and tried her best to keep up with the small group already halfway down the staircase.

Rushing into Keitaro's room, the group came to screeching halt. Keitaro looked up from a book he was reading and smiled.

"Hey how are you? I gather it's been a while."

He dropped an eyebrow in confusion as no one in the group replied. He noticed tears forming in all the girls eyes a moment before he was swamped by them in a scream of joy. Knowing better than to try untangle himself, he simply focused on trying to breathe for the few minutes he was crushed and had his cheeks kissed and wet by tears. He also purposely made a massive attempt to not dwell on the number of soft chests pressing into his arms and torso. He could see through the bodies that Yoko was standing back letting the girls get their fill of him. He was also grinning at his old friends' predicament. When they finally composed themselves and backed up, they left a very ruffled and slightly blushing Keitaro in their wake. Coughing to make sure his voice wouldn't squeak, Keitaro smiled at them again.

"So, how have we all been?"

Motoko, having regained her self control first, spoke softly as she looked at the young man.

"Truthfully, after we discovered you and we brought you here, we were all very distressed at the state you were in and that you were not healing. The next few weeks were hard but we became accustom to you not being there after a while."

"Weeks?" Keitaro frowned as he had a quick think. "So how long have I been in here?"

Mutsumi piped up happily from the back. "Oh, about three and a half months now, give or take. But that's ok cause you're awake now."

Keitaro's eyes widened when he heard this. He looked over at the door, also throwing his senses out to check if anyone was close. When no one was within ear shot, he whispered urgently for them to come closer.

"Has anyone asked about my immortality?? Or said that I'm unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, or anything else along the lines of that?"

Yoko shook his head. "Nah all we got was the odd phone call to let us know how you were doing. It wasn't until today that we got a crazy person on the phone."

Keitaro sighed in relief. Still, he looked nervously at the door, almost expecting someone to come rushing in with a straitjacket and a wheelchair. Stretching, he tried to release some of the pressure on his back but the bandages held firm. Shaking his head, he looked up at his friends.

"The second the doctors remove these were going home."

The girls nearly burst in happiness as they clung to each other, finally hearing the words they wanted to hear for so long. Going home. Just then though, Motoko and Yoko's ears pricked as they heard someone nearing the ward, the crisp clicking of shoes easily betraying the mood of the excited person.

"Brace yourself mate, here come a quack now."

Not a moment later did an extremely pretty doctor glide through the doors, a genuine smile on her face. While the more naive girls returned the smile, Yoko, Motoko and Keitaro all looked at her, not unpleasantly but still with an air of caution. She bowed her head to them and motioned to the seats beside the bed.

"Good afternoon all. My name is Dr. Keiko Kanji. I know none of you know but I have been looking after Mr. Keitaro here for most of the last month. The last doctor was fired for trying to imprison your friend unfortunately. He was raving on about something as absurd as Mr. Keitaro being immortal!"

She started laughing merrily and was hesitantly joined by the now nervous group. When her chuckles came to an end, she wiped away a tear and looked back down at her notes. She continued smiling as she hummed, flicking through the papers, apparently unaware of the nervous whispering going on between a few of the people gathered before her.

Looking up, she briskly walked over to Keitaro's bed and dropped her notes onto the bedside table. Smiling, she slipped on a pair of gloves.

"Time to have a look at this wound then!" She cast a gentle look at the younger girls of the group. "If you think you can't handle what may be under here, I understand. You can wait outside if any of you want."

While Kaolla just spread a wide grin and claimed she can handle anything, Shinobu looked down meekly and took a few shaking breaths before answering.

"I- I should be alright. I mean, if senpai is awake now... surely it couldn't be as bad as it was?"

She blushed under the now motherly gaze cast upon her. "That's a very good thought... Shinobu is it? I'm sure you'll be fine then."

Reaching around, she unclipped the butterfly straps and the beginning of the bandage came loose. The group leaned in closely as she gently unwound them. Throwing the unused fabric to the side, she very lightly began peeling off the padding. There was a joint gasp when everyone saw the enormous scar. When it was finally uncovered, Mutsumi quickly had to find someone to lean against. While there were no skin deformities, a good two thirds of their managers' back was now a deep brown, the jagged edges clearly defining the separation of skin from scar tissue. Keitaro stifled a giggle as the doctor gently rubbed her fingers across the divide, feeling the strength of the new skin. Finally satisfied, she discarded the gloves and wrote some notes down on the chart. She slid the pen under the clip holding the paper with a snap and beamed at the group.

"Well, as remarkable as it is, I can gladly say that Mr. Keitaro can be discharged today. I really have no idea how you managed to heal the way you did, but I cannot deny facts."

Motioning to the door, she bowed slightly. "If you all would like to wait outside while I finish up here, we will be out in a minute as soon as Mr. Keitaro is dressed."

At that moment, Kaolla decided to ask an inappropriate question. "You're gona stay in here while Keitaro gets dressed? You got the jollies for him or something??"

Shinobu turned beat red in the background and started swaying on the spot. Motoko and Naru shot Keitaro a daring glare, the male nearly as red as Shinobu. Mutsumi, Kitsune and Yoko though just stood down the back chuckling to themselves, happily finding amusement in their friends' discomfort. Keiko though slipped Kaolla a wink and nudged her slightly.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm on duty at the moment but I'm sure if he asks nicely I'll go out for a coffee with him."

She then chimed out a humoured laugh when she saw several mouths drop to the floor in shock, Keitaro's included. The three at the back though exploded into full blown laughter along with the doctor, thoroughly amused at everyones reaction. Kaolla just smiled a cheeky grin at the doctor before wrapping her arms around her middle. She looked up at her with wide eyes and an equally as wide smile.

"I like you! I know Keitaros will be safe with you so I don't mind waiting. Don't be too long though!"

And with that, she released the doctor and merrily skipped out the door, snagging a very distraught Shinobu on the way through. Mutsumi, Yoko and Kitsune turned and wandered after the two younger girls; a suss comment from Kitsune having the three in stitches again as they disappeared around the corner into the waiting room. Naru sent Keitaro a warning look before smiling at the doctor.

"Well, thankyou so much for all your help. We all really appreciate it."

Motoko bowed at the doctor, a smile on her face. "I agree. You have been of much help."

As they began to leave, Naru turned and quickly added, "And if he does anything perverted, don't hesitate to hit him."

Keiko just winked slyly at them and patted a now very red Keitaro's thigh. "Oh, it's not me that has to worry about perversion here..."

That had the two older girls hurrying on their way, Keiko's merry laughter following them out, their imaginations going into over drive as they thought about what the pretty young doctor could do to their embarrassed manager.

When the door finally closed, she sighed and sat down beside a still red Keitaro. Shaking her head, she looked up at him, pity now in her warm eyes. This instantly had Keitaro on edge. What she said next only confirmed his suspicions.

"Keitaro... it's ok if I call you that? Good, ok well Keitaro, I do actually believe in what the last doctor was fired for. I really think you may be immortal."

Keitaro backed into the bed slightly. "What would give you that impression?" He knew it was a very poor argument, what with his miraculously healed back.

She smiled warmly. "Well, your immediate discomfort tells me it's atleast partially true. Next, your seemingly unhealing back recovering in the space of a night after months of no change. And also, while you were unconscious, I took a blood test after the last doctor was expelled."

Her eyes began to light up as she remembered what she saw. "While there was no active recovery until just recently, I did establish you had an incredibly advanced immune system. I also found out you had blood that could carry oxygen over a thousand times more effectively than an average person. It was just that it all seemed to be in a state of limbo, for some reason I couldn't determine, and as such is why your recovery took so long. But you already knew this, didn't you? I expect this is what caused the other doctor to go ballistic over..."

It was then Keitaro raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Do you really want me to go into details about everything I found?"

Keitaro hesitated a fraction too long and answered the question indirectly.

"I thought as much. I'll save you the boredom." Keiko sighed unhappily and looked at him, disappointment and sadness for the man clearly visible. "May I guess also that you have had other doctors treat you like a lab rat? That's one reason I never published my findings."

Keitaro's jaw dropped open at the admission. "B-but why? You know you'll be world famous if you discovered something like that!"

She shook her head. "I won't deny I was incredibly excited with what I found. Who knows what cures could be discovered and illnesses treated with after discovering what you have! But then when I thought about what the other doctor did, I thought about how you would feel about it and if you even knew about it. So after I destroyed the pervious doctors' notes..." Keitaro nearly swallowed his tongue when he heard this. "...I put my own findings on my personal drive and did not release it. I decided it best to discuss it all with you before I did anything like that."

Keitaro's head spun. She was so... human! She didn't treat him like a freak and the next big pay cheque at all. She actually thought about how he felt. It was then a small possibility entered his mind as she continued talking.

"So no, I'd rather not say anything to the press yet. I heard rumours a while back about an incident in the Tokyo Mental Institution. Something about an unnamed doctor, as well as a pair of world renowned body guards, being beaten into near comas. It was because of some experiment or something involving a possibly immortal human."

Keitaro swallowed but let no emotion onto his face.

"I believe that person was you. Everything was cleaned up and nothing more has been said since then about it. Government trash or something like that making it as if it never happened. I found it incredibly suspicious and as such looked into it when I heard about how the last guy was fired. I don't know if you will ever tell me if I am right, but even if I'm wrong about your blood samples and my hypothesis, I'll tell you now to be careful because this man is being hunted. I had connections before the government cracked down on it and that's what they said. So you best watch out for yourself."

Keitaro swallowed again. He couldn't work out what to make of it. No doctor had ever treated him like this after discovering his gift, even if she didn't know it was fact yet. Was she just trying to lull him into a false sense of security? Reaching out with his senses, he discovered what her face was already telling him. She was 100% truthful. Suppressing any further concerns, he closed his eyes and spoke carefully.

"So... say I am immortal and what you supposably found in my blood isn't just an anomaly, why are you telling me this? Why are you so concerned about my well being?"

She looked into his ageless eyes with her own filled with wonder. "Because you still are human. No matter what you have become, you still have a belly button meaning that somewhere, at some time, you were born. No matter how long you have lived, you still bleed, you still breathe, you still think, and as I expected, still had emotions. I couldn't just turn over a perfectly normal person to be studied like some sort of endangered specimen. Besides, if you really are immortal, I would expect that you would be gracious enough to maybe come back in every now and then to lend your unique... ability to science. And besides, depending on your age, imagine the stories you would have! The things you have seen! The wisdom and experience that you would have... you would be a veritable encyclopaedia of history."

As she slid into silence, Keitaro stared at her in a mixture of confusion and awe. After so many despicable people torturing him like a rodent... could this girl really have been the one different one? He still held his ground though, not yet totally convinced this wasn't some elaborate plot to have him admit to it so they could swoop on him. She must have noticed his eyes flickering as he thought about the possibilities. She quickly placed a hand on his own and winced as a strange headache hit her. It only lasted a second though.

"If you think that I'm trying to set you up, please be rest assured that it is ONLY you and me in this room. No cameras, no ears to the walls, no nothing."

Keitaro cut the telepathic defence as soon as he realised what happened but withdrew his hand none the less. "How am I meant to believe you? For all I know you could be wired and just waiting for me to admit to this speculation."

Keiko shook her head. "Normally I keep a respectable distance from patients but seeming you are such a unique case, you can see I have breached many a protocol to make you believe that I am totally honest about this."

Standing, she then lifted her shirt up. Keitaro's eyes bulged as he thought she was about to strip for some weird reason. His hands flashed out at a near invisible speed and he grabbed her hands, restricting her movement so the shirt could go no higher. She smiled graciously at him and gently pulled away his hands.

"Don't worry, I'm not doing what you think. I'm merely showing you I have no wires on me. I do thank you for your concern though. Many guys would rather just gape if I did that but after seeing how you handled your mainly female tenants, I assumed getting this close to you would be safe." She smiled again. "I'm glad I was right."

Keitaro just blushed and looked away, unsure what to say.

He felt the bed depress as she sat down again. "Anyway, whether you decide to confirm with me if my findings are correct or not, I leave the choice with you. As for time though, it would be best if you start getting ready as I'm sure your friends are getting suspicious."

Keiko giggled when she saw him wilt at the thought. Standing, she bowed slightly and grabbed her notes. "I'll close the curtains but I must stay in case something happens. Until you're discharged, I'm responsible for anything that happens to you."

She then gracefully slipped out, but not before sending Keitaro a wink. Shaking his head, Keitaro noticed his clothes in the half open draw beside his bed. Sighing, he swung his legs out from under the covers.

"I swear, women will be the death of me..."

Walking out a few minutes later, Keitaro saw the group looking at him, their expressions ranging from mild amusement to embarrassed shock to death glares.

Kitsune sent them a suggestive look and smiled slyly. "Wow, any longer in there and we were actually gona believe your doctor really did try to make a move on you!"

Keiko put a hand to her mouth as she giggled and Keitaro went bright red. "N-n-no nothing like that happened!"

"It better not have." Spat Naru venomously.

Quickly diffusing anything, Keitaro turned and bowed to his doctor. "I just want to say how grateful I am to have such a fantastic doctor looking after me. I'm sure the girls and Yoko feel the same way."

Extending a hand, he shook hers and smiled. She raised an eyebrow as he turned away, leading the rest of his possie out before him. She dropped her gaze to the ground, a smile forming on her lips. Turning, she tripped happily back into the depths of the hospital, Keitaro's mouthed words playing through her mind.

"Come to my place in seven days and I'll explain everything."

oooooooooo

A/N – The last bit of that chapter I really struggled to write. Did it seem that way? I hope not. Anyway, as you can see, Keitaro isn't dead and I'll be explaining why in the coming chapters. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next update =)

Lanky Nathan


	27. Chapter 27

Hey guys sorry about the delay but Tafe has kinda bottle-necked and assignments are due everywhere . very strenuous.

I've also become a bit of a Narutard. I've been reading a bunch of stories with over a thousand reviews and I am shocked at just how good some writers are. Perhaps someday I might be that good... only way to do it is write more stories I suppose. What a shame!

I was thinking that maybe for my next multichapter story I might do a Naruto fic as I've had a pretty interesting idea. What do you guys think? If anyone's interested I'd like to talk over its story line to see what your thoughts on it are.

Anyway, just wana thank 0208 and Megato for their continuing support and to DarkChiyo and Raelax Darkmoon for their extremely positive reviews.

Anyway, enough of that stuff. Here's what you came to read. ENJOY!

**Chapter 27**

That night, Keitaro and Yoko sank into the warm hot water springs, complete bliss etched into their faces. They simultaneously inhaled deeply and exhaled into the water contentedly, little bubbles popping all over the surface. Yoko looked across foggily at his companion, barely making out the outline of his friend.

"Hey... Keitaro..."

He waited several seconds as Keitaro mustered up the will to say something.

"Yeah, buddy?"

A massive smile stretched lazily onto the taller boys face. "This is the best."

A very drowsy but satisfied hum of agreement reached his ears. Not caring who was listening, he let out a very sharp giggle. Keitaro opened one eye. Due to his poor eyesight, he couldn't make out anything.

"What?"

He waited as another giggle reached his ears. "It's all over... like, _over,_ over. After so much fear and nerves and adrenalin... man... it feels like a dream."

Keitaro just nodded until he realised Yoko probably couldn't see him either. "Yeah... I haven't quite totally grasped it either. Like, I'm still alive, so is everyone I care about and things are actually looking good."

Yoko then remembered something rather pressing that had been a major source of discomfort for the dorms. "Hey Keitaro... you know Shinobu?"

"Yes, I have heard of her from time to time..."

Yoko swallowed as he wondered how to word it to his friend. He heard the water in Keitaro's direction slosh as he sat up a bit straighter. "What?"

Yoko shook his head deciding on his answer. "She actually has something very important to tell you that I can't really say for her. I only just remembered but I'm sure she hasn't forgotten. Please talk with her once we're done here."

Keitaro raised a curious eyebrow. Though it may be a pressing matter, at the moment, just for one time in his seemingly infinite life, he decided to be a bit selfish and stay soak longer. Serious baths in the hot springs like this were few and far between and as such, he wanted to stay and enjoy it as long as possible. Besides, it couldn't be too serious as she didn't confront him as she normally did, in her own little way.

"I'm sure she can wait a short while. I just want to enjoy this moment as long as possible."

Yoko looked at his friend in confusion. Normally he would have run out the door to help any of the girls as soon as he could but... realisation sunk in and Yoko just shrugged his shoulders. Keitaro had had it ridiculously rough the last year they had been here and he deserved this moment. He laughed and swiped a hand across the water, sending a spray across Keitaro's head.

"You heartless prick! Hahaha yeah, I suppose it can wait a bit longer."

Keitaro laughed and sent a splash back, ducking under the water to avoid the returning wave.

OoOoOoOoOo

A good hour later, Yoko and Keitaro emerged from the baths, each only in a set of pants. They laughed and spoke about all sorts of nonsense, towelling their hair dry as they walked into the lounge room. Kitsune was in her usual perch, surprisingly reading a book for a change. She looked up at the two men, whistled and raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm I was wondering why the room temperature had gone up. You better cover up lest Shinobu comes in and you give her a nose bleed."

She ducked as a towel was launched at her head. She smirked and looked back up at Keitaro.

"Seems you're losing your touch, almighty warrior of the earth."

Keitaro shrugged and laughed. "After everything that's happened, I wouldn't give two damns if I couldn't even pick up a washing basket. Be thankful I can still work for you here."

Kitsune gave him a small smile. "Yeah, we have alot to be thankful for nowadays. Oh, I just remembered too, you have to speak with Shinobu. She kinda has a big decision she's made but she wants to tell you about it."

Keitaro nodded as Yoko spoke up. "Yeah, I said she did." Turning to his friend, he gave him a shove. "Hop to it then!"

Keitaro laughed and started walking towards the stairs when something soft hit the back of his head. Pulling the shirt from his hair, he heard Yoko say, "You really don't wana be caught in her room by Motoko or Naru dressed like that. Imagine the mayhem!"

Quickly slipping the shirt on, Keitaro shivered. "Quite right. I've had enough punches to last me my whole life. Anyway, best get this over with."

Heading up the stairs, he heard the two residents behind him begin talking as he disappeared around the corner.

OoOoOoOo

Shinobu looked up as she heard three sharp knocks on her door.

"Come in!"

The opening door revealed Keitaro's smiling face. The girl blushed and looked away, trying to control her feelings. Keitaro closed the door behind him and walked over, sitting down in front of the girl.

Before she said anything Keitaro spoke up. "Before I say anything, I just want you to know that I have told Naru and Motoko that I was coming to talk with you about your choice. I was just letting you know so you don't have to worry about us being found. Anyway, you now know the reason I'm here so fire away, I'm listening."

The girl struggled to bring her thoughts to order as she had planned to tell her manager about everything when she was ready. Now that it had all been dumped in her lap at once, she tried to calm herself.

'Ok Shinobu, you gotta tell him. It's not that hard, just tell him and that's it. Just... don't look him in the eyes.'

Sighing, she swallowed nervously before starting to talk.

"O-ok. Well, I guess I'll just say it... it's I've decided... well, that I want to move out."

She then dropped her head, waiting for the following deluge of questions she was certain to come. She scrunched her hands up in her skirt as the moments ticked by, the waiting of seconds seeming like hours. She heard Keitaro sigh and she scrunched her eyes up.

"I suppose I should thank you for staying with us as long as you have."

Her eyes flipped open and she released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.

"W-wha...?"

Her heart melted as her eyes met his, a sad smile on his face. "I understand. You don't have to tell me the details because there is only one thing that would cause this. It's because of what I brought back, isn't it?"

The girl fidgeted as she nodded slightly, not trusting her voice. She closed her eyes to prevent the tears she felt building up from falling as Keitaro spoke.

"Well, in that case Shinobu, thank you so much. I realise it has been incredibly difficult for you in a way that I can't understand. That you actually put up with the stress for so long is a testament to your strength. You are the most tender loving girl I have ever known and yet, you are also one of the strongest. To be able to push through the pain you were experiencing for us, especially me... you are simply the best friend I could ever ask for."

She felt the insides of her eyelids begin to itch as they nearly over filled with tears. She sniffed as she absorbed what she heard. Keitaro described everything she had felt to a T, even without actually understanding her pain. Swallowing, she nodded.

"I-I-I thought that it would g-get better but i-it didn't and then you ended up *sniff* in hospital so b-badly hurt and I just couldn't take it anymore... seeing you always hurt h-hurt me and I don't k-know how much more I can take so I thought it best to g-go..."

Her eyes shot open wide as she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her into an equally strong chest. The tears now fell silently from wide eyes as a hand gently stroked her hair, the body she was connected to now rocking slowly.

"Shh... shhh... there there, it's ok. I know it's been hard but it's over now. There aren't any more monsters or shadows or anything like that anymore. And know that I'll fully support your decision if that's what you really want, no matter what. You're an amazing girl Shinobu. Just know that I am so very proud of you."

That was all it took for Shinobu to then fully break down. Sobbing, she pulled her face into his chest as the tears flowed freely; the whole time Keitaro just sitting and stroking her hair, a sad smile on his face. And that was how they sat for a long while afterwards.

OoOoOoOoOo

Fluttering her eyes, Shinobu slowly started to wake up. She looked around dopily, trying to work out what was happening. It was then she remembered that she had told Keitaro about her moving out. She sighed and rolled slightly. Who knew that telling him everything would have had such a reaction? Even the girl herself had no idea just how much emotional stress she had stored up. Shifting again, she looked across and saw her manager in the corner. Her breath hitched a second, wondering why he was still here. She then realised that he was sleeping silently, and that he had distanced himself significantly between them. Sitting up, she yawned and looked out the window. It was well into the night and it surprised her that Keitaro hadn't been kicked out by Naru or Motoko yet. Rubbing some sleep from her eye, it was then Keitaro's still form rustled.

"Hey sleepy, you awake now hey?"

Shinobu blushed slightly and nodded.

"I had you fall asleep on my chest after a while and so I put you to bed. Naru and Motoko wanted me out but seeming it was me that caused you to be in such a state, I made it clear I wanted to stay." He chuckled. "I even called on my manager powers to let me stay!"

Shinobu smiled a bit and relaxed. So that explained it. Shifting around, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and checked the clock.

3:30am.

Stretching, she felt the cool air tickle her tummy as the skin was exposed. She also pushed against the fabric that had recently become tighter around her chest area. It was then she noticed Keitaro make a pointed attempt to look away. She quickly stopped, both embarrassed that he had seen what he had and strangely excited that he reacted in such a way. Blushing a bit more, the two of them fell into an awkward silence before Shinobu spoke up.

"Umm... if you wanted, we could go down and grab something to eat? I n-never got tea so..."

Keitaro smiled. "Sure! I never got to eat either so that sounds great."

Keitaro stretched and quickly walked to the door. Opening it in front of Shinobu, he bowed slightly.

"After you..."

She giggled and blushed, not used to having him make this kind of fuss over her. Tripping through the door, she waited for Keitaro to emerge and then they walked silently down the stairs.

OoOoOoOoOo

Keitaro could hardly understand Shinobu's ability. Even a quick, small meal of hers was still far and away better than anything he could have ever cooked in triple the time. Taking another bite of the delicious snack, he looked across at the girl. She had hardly touched her own meal. Sighing, Keitaro put his spoon down.

"So when were you planning to leave?"

Shinobu's eyes looked further down. "I was originally planning to move out the first week you were in the hospital, but Kitsune convinced me to stay."

Keitaro looked up. "Really? How did she manage to do that?"

Shinobu instantly looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I-I'd... rather... umm, I wouldn't wana hurt your feelings..."

Keitaro shot her another of his all inclusive smiles. "Trust me, I can almost guarantee that anything you say won't even nearly be the worst thing said to me."

Shinobu swallowed and looked away. "O-ok... well, Kitsune said that I can stay because... seeming everything that had happened was because you brought those things back... while you're in hospital, we wouldn't be attacked or stressed. It was because all the monsters were after you mainly." She sniffed. "It was fair reasoning... and true."

Keitaro's smile faltered slightly. While he kept a mostly happy face, sadness entered his eyes. "Yeah, she was right. I was the target for all those things so it only made sense. I'm just sorry you had to put up with it."

An enormous part of the girl instantly screamed out that it was never his fault, that it was something else that had happened, another of his accidents, anything else but his fault. But she stayed silent, head dipped so her manager couldn't see the turmoil in her eyes. She heard him sigh and she cringed.

"Well, could I maybe make a wager with you then?"

Shinobu looked up, confused. It was not the answer she expected. "Y-yeah...?"

Keitaro had his hands clasped before him resting on the table. "Kitsune said those monsters wouldn't come back here because I wasn't here. That was fair enough. Now, I'm wondering if I can step that up a fraction. I'll say that no more creatures will attack us BECAUSE I got rid of them all. So could you please stay atleast one more month? Rent free. I want to prove to you that nothing more will happen simply because there is nothing more _to_ happen. It is your call in the end though. I just don't want to lose you because you are a valued tenant," Shinobu blushed furiously, "and an incredibly valued friend."

The girl took several deep breaths to try and slow her racing heart. She desperately wanted to believe that everything was alright but she was still scared out of her wits that something just as horrific would happen again. But then, she only had to stay another month... she could manage that... couldn't she? Looking up into the big brown eyes of her treasured manager, she swallowed. He didn't say anything as she considered his proposal. Eventually, she sighed, nodded and mouthed a silent ok.

She didn't even see Keitaro react when he suddenly had her wrapped up in a massive hug. Her eyes widened exponentially as she felt the warmth of the man against her.

"Thankyou so much! I'll show you that everything will be fine. I really didn't wana see you leave..."

He pulled back sheepishly. "Sorry about this too but I'm just really happy."

To his surprise, he felt the girl pull herself back into his chest. Shinobu had quickly taken advantage of the moment to savour having Keitaro all to herself, no other girls around to distract him. "It's ok. I didn't really want to leave. It was more of a thing I had to do to keep myself sane. Just promise me that nothing will happen in this month because I honestly don't think I could take a single more thing."

Keitaro smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulders, pulling her in tighter. "I promise. Thankyou for the chance to prove it."

OoOoOoOo

A week later, Keitaro was sitting in the lounge room, chores for the day completed. He was reading a rather boring book till he heard a knock at the door. Smiling, he realised who it probably was. Jumping up, he quickly ran over and opened the front door. As predicted, there before him stood his doctor.

Ah, Miss Keiko Kanji! How pleasant of you to remember our date. Please, come in!"

She smiled graciously and slipped off her small shoes. "A date now is it? My goodness, soon enough everyone will think we're a couple!"

Keitaro's mouth started flapping in shock as the beautiful woman raised a hand to her mouth and giggled. She wandered into the lounge room and saw Kitsune lying in her usual spot, watching the ponies. She sighed and flipped off the TV, having no luck with her horses. Turning, she looked up and sent the doctor a devious smile.

"Good afternoon! I heard you at the door just then. You sure have a knack for leaving guys speechless don't you? I think we could become good drinking buddies!"

Keiko laughed again and shook her head. "No, sorry but I don't drink. If you would substitute vodka for lemonade though you would have me hooked."

Kitsune shrugged her shoulders. "Nah, I'll be right. Nothing quite beats the warm inviting tingle of that glorious master fluid."

Keitaro at that stage had managed to recover enough to follow his guest in. He motioned for the doctor to sit, a soft blush still on his face. "Can I get you anything? A coffee? Tea?"

Kitsune smirked. "Lemonade?"

Her new friend shot the fox an amused look. "If you insist, yes, a lemonade would be great."

Keitaro nodded and left, quickly returning with a cup. Sitting down before the woman, he smiled. "Well, I suppose we can start talking about what you've discovered. Where would you like to start?"

"Well..."

Kitsune interrupted Keiko with a rude wave. "Wait, wait, wait! I know a few of the girls would be interested in this."

She turned and then bellowed out in a well practiced manner. "OI, KEITARO'S GONA START TALKIN' ABOUT HIS STUFF TO KEIKO! GET DOWN HERE!"

The dirty blond then looked back down at two deafened people. "Sorry, it's just we're all pretty curious about this stuff too. We never actually heard you talk about it personally you know?"

Keitaro just nodded, still amazed as the decibels the woman achieved. The pounding of feet then filled the room as several tenants descended the staircase rapidly. Su instantly sent Keiko a massive smile and in a loud 'whoop!' launched herself into the woman's lap and gave her a crushing hug. Shinobu, Mutsumi, Yoko and Naru were quickly in tow, Motoko gracefully descending the stairs a distance behind the other girls. They quickly found themselves seats, with Kaolla content with perching herself in Keiko's lap.

Looking around at the interested faces, Keitaro sighed. "Ok, well, you do the questions and I'll do the answers ok?"

Keiko smiled and nodded. "Ok, so, I suppose we should start with what I discovered. The main thing I found out was your immunity and blood's oxygen carrying capacity. What is that?"

Keitaro frowned. "It's hard to say as I never really worked it out. To tell you the truth, I have no idea why my body is like it is. I have studied for many, many years to try and work out why I am as I am but I have never really come to a conclusion."

Keiko frowned too. "Ok... well, does that mean you couldn't shed any light on the reason your bloods unique qualities dispersed within days of being drawn from you?"

Keitaro nodded unhappily. "Yeah, sorry but unfortunately. I'm not really any help in any regard to that."

Keiko sighed. Smiling none the less, she took a different track. "Ok then, well, how about we try another question. Ummm... ok then, how old are you exactly?"

Keitaro paled slightly as he looked around at the expectant faces. His eyes met with Yoko and he saw the boy was just as uncomfortable as he was. 'Man, I duno... only Motoko and Yoko know my true age and that made Motoko pass out for the rest of the day! Who knows how everyone else will react...'

Swallowing, looked at them all. "I don't think you would believe me if I told you..."

Keiko grinned. "Try me. What I saw in your blood was unlike anything I had ever seen ever. Technically, what you have shouldn't even exist."

Keitaro looked at her for a few seconds before sighing. "Ok. Well, I am, at this very moment in time... 19 years old."

Everyone gave him a strange look. "What?"

Naru gave him a dirty look. "Honestly where is your head at? You were 19 a year ago. _Remember?_"

Keitaro instantly went red. He had totally mucked up his maths."Uh, yeah, sorry..."

He saw Yoko slap a palm to his forehead. Sighing, he looked at Keiko guiltily. She just stared back at him in amusement. "Ok, I'm 20 then. This is where things start getting complex and REALLY hard to believe."

He saw the group lean in, even the ones who had heard it before. Keiko's eyes widened in excitement. "Go on..."

"Well... I'm actually from the 'future', so to speak. If anything, where I am now is the 'past' of my 'present'."

Keiko instantly put a hand to her chin and thought it over. "So, you're saying everything that is happening now has already happened by your timeline. That you have lived through it and that you decided to come back by some method. Correct?"

Keitaro nodded happily. "Yep. It's good you can grasp it."

She nodded at his approval. "Time travel, parallel universes, alternate dimensions, all those things really interest me. So, if that's the case, which future do you come from? This current timeline or a previous one? Have things changed since you came back or is everything following a pre-ordained path that cannot be altered?"

Keitaro sat back in mild shock. Not only was she handling it, she was throwing questions at him at the same level Su would. "No, everything is interchangeable. There is nothing set in concrete until it has actually been done. There for, from every moment there is another alternate future. Some decisions hardly affect the future; others change it to be totally unrecognisable. You must remember also that every decision invokes a whole new list of decisions from a singular person and as such the entire future can turn out totally different from what's predicted. Now, combine a nearly limitless amount of choices one person can make, multiply that by 6 billion people and you have a lot that can change in a life time. If you wanted to talk _really_ big numbers, think about all the children born and raised to make their own decisions in the time the 6 billion people will make their choices. If you think about it too hard, it will send you insane."

Despite what Keitaro then expected, Keiko continued on, totally enthralled. "SO, if that's the case then that means you cannot return to the future you came back here from?"

Keitaro nodded in surprise.

"So then that means you talking to me now probably never happened and what we will discover has never been realised. But then... that also means that the doctors that caused you to be so cautious about us never got a hold of you... yeah?"

Keitaro sat silent for a moment as he absorbed what was just spilled to him. It hasn't happened yet... the despicable scientists... the blue-x-ray... he had never thought of it like that...

After a time, Keitaro slowly nodded. "Yes... I suppose you're right."

Needless to say, the rest of the group were completely confused. All this theory on time travel was totally above them, and not even a single calculation had been made yet! These complex hypotheses were enough to make even Naru's brain fade out. Kaolla though was the one exception. She sat with a small frown on her face, nodding every now and then to comments she found particularly relevant. Her mind was rapidly formulating new ideas and possibilities about time travel and intra-dimensional jumps. When Keitaro came back from his brief flash back, she spoke up.

"Hey, Keitaros... how exactly _DO_ you time travel? I can only think up one possible way but you have surprised me before. So how? Huh?"

Keiko nodded vigorously, just as keen for the answer as the little prodigy in her lap.

Keitaro smiled. He knew from experience she had something planning. "I do it the sixth and seventh senses." He nodded at Keiko. "These have yet to be discovered because the technology doesn't exist yet."

Keiko looked up in surprise. "Two more senses you say? What are they exactly?"

Keitaro mentally sighed. This could take a while. "Ok, the sixth is what you would expect. Telepathy and telekinesis."

To mostly everyone's surprise, Keitaro and the chair he was sitting on lifted several feet in the air before setting itself back down. He held up a hand as questions started firing.

"The seventh is something called reality shift or re-shift. It involves creating an illusion around something to make it look like something totally different. If used well enough, it is able to create objects from the dust in the air"

He held his left hand up and concentrated. It oozed into a replica of his right hand for a second before his hand seemingly slipped from the image like a glove, leaving the copy floating for a moment. Grabbing it, he chucked it to Su who instantly lavished all her possible attention over it.

"While it may feel real, it will break if you're not careful. Let everyone have a feel ok?"

He looked at the girls surrounding him. While Motoko, Naru and Mutsumi were keen, Yoko, Kitsune and Shinobu were looking rather ill after seeing a dismembered hand chucked to their young friend. He chuckled and continued.

"So for the eighth sense, time travel, I combined both abilities and freeze time. I then use telekinesis to alter the speed of time, either backwards or forwards. Don't ask how I actually do it or locate the correct time because I don't know the gritty details. I just 'feel' the date and know when it is. It's tricky to explain. But yeah, that's about it!"

He then fell quiet as the group had a feel of the hand, soft murmurs coming from the girls as they tried out the fingers and so on. Keiko and Kaolla however were now deep in thought, running over what had just been said. Keiko then spoke while Kaolla still mused over things.

"Well, if that's so, how far away is this technology from being created?"

Keitaro wriggled around uncomfortably. "I duno if you'll believe me..."

Keiko shook her head stubbornly. "Na-ah you're telling me everything. I mean, how much harder to believe is it than a hand appearing in mid air?"

Keitaro shrugged. She had a point. "Ok then. Well... if I can remember correctly it is... oh, roughly about five million years in the making."

Keiko's eyes bulged when she heard that. "Five Million years! Wha... just how old are you?"

Keitaro looked away sheepishly. "About Five Million Two Hundred Thousand. Give or take."

Keiko dropped back into her chair, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "I never would have believed it... you are something real special, aren't you?"

Keitaro shifted unhappily. "I wouldn't really call it special..."

Su then piped up, having processed the information and continuing the conversation. "So, that re-shift thing was what I accidentally made you do, back when I experimented on you? And the room?"

Keiko looked down at the girl in confusion. Seeing no response, she glanced at Keitaro. He made a gesture that said just leave it. Keitaro then had to have a quick think to try and remember what she was talking about. "Uhhh... yeah, yeah that's right. Everything looked weird, but in reality it wasn't."

Yoko and Su shook their heads. "Nah that was very real. Dude you nearly killed us both! Twice!"

Keitaro blushed and looked away. "Oh... yeah, sorry about that."

Su laughed and Yoko just gave him a look. "Mate we forgave you ages ago. Don't fret about it."

Eager to change the subject, Keitaro then looked at Kaolla. "You said you had another theory for time travel. What was it?"

The eccentric blond instantly lit up. "Oh, mine was more theorising the possibility of breaking the dimensional barrier between this universe and the opposite one, of antimatter."

Keiko looked down in surprise. Who could have guessed such an immature girl was host to such a complex mind!

"Basically, I was thinking of creating a spherical capsule to travel back in time with. Seeming antimatter is totally opposite of everything in this universe, it's not impossible to say time also flows backwards there! So, to break into that plane would mean that, travelling near _that_ universes speed of light would take us into _that_ universes future, but therefore into _our_ past! To return would simply be a matter of travelling near the speed of light in our universe. Or linking the entrance and exit portals together with a wormhole of sorts so it's easier to return. The hardest part though would be accurately pinpointing a specific time to land at. Travelling in antimatter would mean that nothing would be visible to our eyes and as such, finding the correct portal, so to say, to exit at would be near impossible. Some form of landmark would be needed to pinpoint a specific time, such as an atomic blast or something that would create a flux in time great enough to be discovered. From there, it would be theoretically possible to calculate the distance travelled between the now and the then, and therefore calculate how to make the time jump to that point or others. Or, if I could get you to come along, maybe you could learn to 'feel' the time we're at! It would serve as a super easy way to avoid a whole list of near innumerable equations."

She then stuck her tongue out and rubbed the back of her head. "It's all only theory for the moment though!"

When she finished, the room descended into gobsmacked silence. She had actually worded it in a way that everyone understood... mostly... but the thing that got everyone was that it sounded totally possible! Naru and Mutsumi were wide eyed and whispering between themselves, sharing ideas on possible calculations. Down the back was Shinobu and Motoko with Yoko, clarifying some of the more foggy details but Kitsune had all but zoned out from the word go. This was not her area of expertise and as such found it unnecessary to listen in. Keiko on the other hand gaped down at the young girl in wonder and ruffled her hair.

"Well aren't you a box of surprises! That is incredible sweetie!"

Kaolla just gave her a big smile and giggled. As everyone settled, it was then Shinobu that spoke up from the back.

"W-well... if you can really time travel, why didn't you just go back and change things so we didn't have to go through all this? Why didn't you stop it so you didn't have to hurt?"

The rest of the girls and even Yoko began mumbling in agreement. Why didn't he?

Keitaro then sent them an incredibly warm gaze that totally encompassed them all. "Believe me, I tried. I thought that I could, but after I tried a few tries I realised that every other option ended up in a similar or worse scenario. As such, I came to realise the way I had to beat this thing. Even if it meant that you all had to endure some form of pain, I would prefer that than seeing you dead..." He saw tears beginning to emerge from some of the more caring eyes. "Besides, for you guys, I would really do anything to keep you safe. Even if it meant going through this all over again, I would. That's just how much you mean to me."

It was then that everyone in the room was given a glimpse of just how deep the heart of their manager went. Instantly Keitaro was swamped by all the girls, some crying, some laughing and others thanking him repeatedly for his sacrifice. Keiko looked across and smiled when she saw Yoko wiping a tear from his eye as he considered this amazing friend he had. His eyes met Keiko's and he laughed, from what, he could not tell but he just had to. The doctor watched as the boy giggled silently to himself, her smile softening further.

'You cannot even begin to classify this kind of friend. You all are so lucky to know him.'

And amongst the noise of the girls, Keitaro's merry laughter carried around the room and into the halls.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A/N – well, that seemed like a good spot to stop. There was more I could write but, yeah, good spot n' all =) I hope you liked this chapter anyway. The first bit was a bit of a struggle to write but that last hypothetical bit came easily. Can you tell I'm a sucker for time travel theories, antimatter and parallel universes? I'm such a tragic hahahaha XD

Surprisingly though, I'm not sure how many chapters I have left to write... it just occurred to me then that I have summed up most of everything I wanted said in the final chapters... wow, it is a strangely satisfying feeling knowing that all this is nearly done.

There will be one more chapter I think, possibly two, depending on how I write it (plus the epilogue).

On that note, I shall leave you good readers for the moment. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you think anyway, it's always good to get readers opinions.

See you in the next chapter =)

Lanky Nathan.

P.S. – The theory on antimatter time travel was actually leached from this amazing story I read a while ago by 'Doctor-T' called 'Love Hina: Doomsday'. Please do yourself a favour and read it. You'll find it in my favourites if you're too lazy to search for it. It is far and away one of the greatest sci/fi stories on this site (and also complete so you don't have to worry about updates). So to that fantastic writer, I give my thanks for the inspiration to this chapter.


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